JPH0284860A - Interactive communication methods and systems - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To utilize a sound and data in a distant place, to visually observe information mutually, to execute processing in that place and to present a result to all participants by samely operating various programs in plural work stations and using the program together with a telephone set. CONSTITUTION:One interaction control program 100A can control plural interaction subject programs 120A and 120B, etc., and by this control, plural windows A50 and B50, etc., on a display screen can arbitrarily participate in interaction communication. Since plural interaction control programs 100A and 100B are provided in each station, a user can simultaneously participate. in the two types of the interaction communication from one station. For example, one window A50 on the display screen is defined as an interaction subject. Then, while the communication is executed with the user of the other station, document preparation processing can be locally advanced by the other window B50. Since this window B50 can be switched to the interaction subject window, joint information processing can be efficiently executed.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an interactive communication method and system, and more specifically, the present invention relates to an interactive communication method and system, and more specifically, the present invention relates to an interactive communication method and system, in which each user of a plurality of terminal devices connected through a communication line performs voice interaction using a telephone. The present invention also relates to an electronic dialogue method and system in which data communication is performed between terminal devices and information processing is carried out jointly.

[Conventional technology]

In conventional data processing systems or terminal devices equipped with data processing functions, information processing programs such as document editing programs and table editing programs that have excellent interactivity and output output that is easy to visually understand, The assumption was that it would be exclusively owned by individuals. For computer systems using such programs, see, for example, Sebold.

Janathan “Xerox 1 Star” The Seabold Report, Media, & Insilvania: Seabold Publications, Volume 10.

16, 1981 (Saybold, Jo
nathan, "Xerox's 'Star',"
In the Saybold Report, Me
dia, PA: Saybold Publicat
ions, Vol. 10. No. 16. 1981
．． ) is described in detail. However, the above systems do not have a function that allows multiple people to simultaneously access the same data that constitutes documents, tables, etc., and to reflect the results on the display in real time. The above document describes e-mail as a function in which the same data is used by multiple users, but e-mail is a system in which multiple people access the same document etc. at different times. They cannot be used at the same time.

On the other hand, telephones have been most commonly used for quick communication between distant locations. The advantage of the telephone is that it allows people to freely communicate their reactions to each other in real time, and that it uses voice, which is information that is very easy for humans to understand. However, there is a problem in that it can only handle audio information. During a conversation, it is common to experience that something that can be easily understood using simple pictures becomes very difficult to explain in language. In other words, if you can use notes, documents, etc. in conversation,
Mutual understanding will be further promoted.

Two terminal devices connected by a communication line each have a telephone, display the same screen on both display devices, and display the cursor input from the own terminal and the cursor input from the other party's terminal on each display screen. A system that allows a conference to be held while referring to the screen by simultaneously displaying the images is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-53084.

In addition, in such a system, if each terminal device is equipped with a multi-window display function, there is a common window used to display the same document on both screens through inter-terminal communication, and a document that is used only on the own terminal. Alternatively, a local window for displaying data can be displayed simultaneously on one screen. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-67958.

One proposal for a communication system using such multi-window terminals is that when a user of one terminal wants to explain the contents of a common window that is covered by a local window on another terminal,
In order to be able to instruct the other user to shift the position of the local window, the position information of each terminal's local window is communicated to the other terminal, making it possible to judge the state of the other terminal's screen on each terminal's screen. A system configuration is proposed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, conventionally proposed dialogue systems equipped with both the functions of a telephone and a display device have not been able to smoothly proceed with dialogue screen conferences.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic dialogue system and a dialogue communication method that combine a plurality of terminal devices or workstations with multi-window functions and improve information service performance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an interactive communication system that allows participation in multiple conversations (or conferences) simultaneously or selectively from one terminal station.

Another object of the present invention is a dialogue in which each user can individually prepare materials and add them to the common information in parallel with dialogue that refers to common information in a plurality of terminal devices connected by a communication line. The objective is to provide a collaborative information processing system with improved efficiency.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, in a communication system consisting of a plurality of stations connected to a communication line and each having a multi-window function, after establishing a control communication channel between the plurality of stations to communicate interactively,
A logical communication path is established between the application programs (processing programs) that each station has, which are desired to be interlocked with each other. In the present invention, application programs connected by logical communication paths are referred to as dialogue target programs.

In a station with a multi-window function, multiple application programs corresponding to multiple windows set on the display screen are operated selectively or in parallel, and the processing results of each application program are made to correspond to the multiple windows set on the display screen. It can be output to a window.

In the present invention, when data or commands are input to a program to be interacted with at one station, and the contents of a window change as a result of data processing, these data or commands are transferred to a logical communication channel (actually, the above-mentioned control channel is used). This feature is characterized in that the same content can be displayed in a window at all stations connected via a control channel by inputting the same content to the dialog target program of other stations via the control channel.

When the logical communication path is disconnected, the program to be interacted with returns to a normal application program running locally on each station, and data or commands given to this application program cannot be applied to other stations. In order to establish and disconnect these control communication channels and logical communication channels, to transmit data or commands to other stations, and to distribute them to programs to be interacted with at the own station, the present invention includes the following steps:
Each station is equipped with an interaction control program.

[Effect]

One dialogue control program t can control a plurality of dialogue target programs, thereby allowing a plurality of windows on the display screen to arbitrarily participate in dialogue communication. In addition, by equipping each station with multiple dialogue control programs, it is possible to simultaneously control two
You can also participate in two interactive communications.

According to the present invention, for example, one window on the display screen can be used as a dialog target to communicate with users at other stations, while a document creation process can be performed locally in another window, and if necessary, Since this document can be pasted into a dialog target window or this local window can be switched to the dialog target window, joint information processing can be carried out efficiently.

〔Example〕

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An electronic dialogue system, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described below with reference to one drawing. Telephone conversation is a system that uses computers to support conversations between remote locations, which have traditionally been carried out only by telephone, both audibly and visually.

FIG. 1 is an external view of an electronic dialogue device (workstation) according to the present invention. This device consists of a computer main body 1 that stores a CPU and memory. Display 2. Keyboard 3.
It consists of a pointing device 4 and a telephone 5. The keyboard 3 is mainly used for inputting letters and numbers, and the pointing device 4 is used to indicate the position on the display 2 and to specify what to select from a menu containing several options displayed there. It is a means. telephone 5
provides an input/output means for voice communication between users. These devices are integrated; for example, by displaying the name of the person to be called on the display 2 and selecting the desired one with the pointing device 4, the user can make a call without having to be aware of the phone number. enable. Voices synthesized by a computer can be sent over the phone, and voices sent from the phone can be stored and used later.

In the electronic dialogue system according to the present invention, a plurality of such workstations are used, and the user of each device receives audio information from the telephone 5 as well as visual information from the display 2 using the keyboard 3 or pointing device 4. Operate and use it. Furthermore, by processing such information on the computer 1, information processing activities that could not be achieved using voice alone can be performed. During such individual usage, it is possible to conduct electronic dialogue with other workstations, or conversely, during electronic dialogue, it is possible to perform individual work on the work stage.

Typical display examples and operation examples on the display 2 that can be seen when performing electronic dialogue according to the present invention are shown in FIGS. 2A to 4.
In Figure B, a user is interacting using workstations A and B. 2A, 3A, and 4A are the display contents of the workstation A at a certain point in time, and the corresponding display contents of the workstation B are shown in FIGS. 2B, 3B, and 4B.

A2 is the display of workstation A, and B
2 is the display of workstation B. While conversing on the phone, each user is viewing documents with the same content displayed in window areas A50 and 850 of their respective displays. In the present invention, these windows A50 and B50 are referred to as interaction windows. Both users can freely perform editing operations on the document in the dialog target window, and the results of all operations are simultaneously reflected on the displays on both screens.

For example, if the title of a document is deleted on workstation A, the title is deleted not only in window A50 but also in window B50.

A60 and 860 provide various commands and controls for dialog control.
This is an interaction control window in which a menu is displayed. The user can give commands to the dialogue control program, which will be described later, by pointing to one command from the command menu with the cursor AIO or B10.

The command menu includes a plurality of material groups corresponding to pre-prepared materials, or one icon representing those materials, and when the user specifies any material with the cursor AIO, one icon corresponding to this material is displayed. The application program is started and the contents of the material are displayed in window A50 or A30. When the user specifies one material and inputs a shared use command, the application program corresponding to this material becomes the dialog target program, and the window displaying this material becomes the dialog window as shown in A50 above.

A20. B20. AB20. Ba2O is a pointing object (hereinafter referred to as PO) used to indicate and confirm the position on the display.
). These POs allow each user to visually indicate the location or object he or she is pointing to to a conversation partner in a remote location, which improves understanding compared to communication using only the telephone. Can hold simple conversations.

A20 and 820 are workstations A and B, respectively.
These are the POs operated by A, and the corresponding POs are A.
They are displayed on each partner's display as B20 and Ba2O. The user of work stage 1A is said to be the owner of PO:A20 and Ba2O.

Each user can create, move, and delete their own POs, and the results of these operations will change the POs displayed on the other party's display in response to changes in the POs displayed on their own station. It is also reflected in the same way. The PO is different from the cursor AIO or B10, which moves on the screen in response to the operation of the pointing device 4 at each station.

Cursors AIO and B10 can be moved to any position across the display, but PO's movement is restricted to within the window area being interacted with, and Po and the cursor operate independently of each other. In this embodiment, in order to facilitate operation, a pointing device 4 is used as a device for instructing the movement of Po. That is, in PO movement mode, move cursor A10 (BIO) to PO:A
20 (B20) and move the PO following the movement of the cursor.

Two that correspond to each other (7) PO: A2o and Ba2O must point to the same part of the same object on both display screens, but the shape, color, etc. should be selectable according to each user's preference. This is desirable. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, for example, the user (7) PO displayed on the display A2 (B2)
: A20 (B20) filled in with an arrow pointing upward to the left, the opponent's PO that appears on your display: AB2
By making 0 (Ba2O) a hatched arrow pointing downward to the right, we adopted a form that allows the user to clearly distinguish between their own PO and the opponent's PO. In addition to the display format of Po, the shape of Po may be made to have a different shape for each owner, for example, A's PO may be an arrow shape, B's Po may be a hand shape, etc.

2A and 2B show scenes in which the user at workstation A is interacting with the user at workstation B while indicating the topic to be discussed using PO:A20. here,
A30 and B30 are local windows displaying data that each person is individually accessing. for example,
A30 is a window in which user A is creating data A40 that will be used as material for discussion with user B, and window B
Reference numeral 30 indicates the status of incoming mail for user B from other workstations. In addition, in order to facilitate the identification of these individual access areas (windows A30 and B50) and the aforementioned common document area (windows A50 and B50), for example, the color of the latter window frame or the background color may be changed on the screen. It is best to make it different from the other windows above.

Figures 3A and 3B show that during the above dialogue, the user decides to use the material created as the dialogue target document, and the data A40 in the local window A30 is displayed.
By pasting this on window A50, it can be used from both sides as A41 and B41.

Finally, Figures 4A and 4B show that both users
．． This shows a state in which the creation of B50 has been completed and the contents of the created document have been confirmed. This operation is called "authentication." The purpose of authentication is to ensure that the data that each interlocutor sees on their display actually matches, and that the data created during the telephone conversation The purpose of this is to provide a means to easily prove the fact that documents, data, memos regarding agreements, etc. that have been falsified are subsequently falsified. In this embodiment, the authentication operation is reflected on the document on the display by displaying a picture similar to a conventional seal imprint on the document to represent the situation in which each interlocutor has affixed a seal. AA60 is user A displayed on display A2.
AB60 is the seal of user B displayed on display A2, Ba2O is the seal of user A displayed on display B2, and BB60 is the seal of user B displayed on display B2.

Authentication is performed only when the contents of the document viewed by both parties completely match, and the seal is displayed.

Of course, these seal impressions are just images, but they have the effect of showing that just by looking at the data or document, it has already undergone authentication processing. In this embodiment, as a result of authentication, in addition to the seal imprint, authentication data that can only be created by the certifier is exchanged based on the content of the document, the name of the certifier, etc., and is retained together with the content of the document and data. There is. That is, when attempting to quantify documents that have already been created, although it is possible to recreate one's own authentication data, it is impossible to modify other people's authentication data. In this way, the legitimacy of documents created jointly between interlocutors can be guaranteed.

As described above as an operation example, the basic mechanism for simultaneously performing collaborative work such as dialogue and individual work using a workstation (computer) is explained using the conceptual diagram in Figure 5. I will explain.

Here again, the interlocutors are A and B, and the displays they use are A2 and B2. Let A50 and B50 be the dialog windows that display the documents and data that A and B are working on together on their respective displays, and A30 and B30 be the local windows that display the documents and data that A and B are working on individually. . At each workstation, reception of input from the keyboard 3 and pointing device 4 and display output processing on the display 2 are executed through the window management system 140A or 140B. Data processing in each window is performed using the corresponding application program (or processing program) 130A, 130B. Among these application programs, the program corresponding to the dialogue window is referred to as the dialogue target program 120A in the present invention.

Let's call it 120B. It is also possible to simultaneously set a plurality of dialog windows such as 12OA and 120A' and run a plurality of dialog target programs on one workstation.

Electronic interaction that is natural to the participants requires that the interaction target program reflect each interlocutor's operations in real time. 1 to control the operation of each target program and display the same content on each display as a result.
In the present invention, the dialogue control program 100A (100B)
is installed. In the conventional leak station, the dialog target program 120A (120B) receives input from the window management system 140A (140B) by itself. In contrast, in the electronic dialogue system according to the present invention, the window system 140A (14
0B) is once input to the dialogue control program 100A.
(100B) takes in the input and passes the input to the dialog target program 12OA (120B) that it controls, and at the same time, the other dialog control program 100B (100A
) to control the target program of the other party's workstation.

A dialogue control communication path 70 is provided for communication between dialogue control programs. In the sense of distributing data to dialogue target programs, -Foreign Language-II4. In addition to the one-dialogue control channel 70, a logical dialog communication channel 80 between dialog target programs will also be considered. Note that the establishment of this dialog communication channel 80 is realized by each dialog control program using the dialog control channel 70. As will be described in detail later, if only the dialogue communication path 80 is disconnected, the dialogue target programs 120A and 120B are not linked, and information limited to the dialogue control level operations performed between the dialogue control programs 100A and 100B is transmitted. For example, by data exchange file transfer, data held by one workstation can be sent to the other workstation to prepare for subsequent interaction. When the dialogue control channel 70 is disconnected, the dialogue target programs 120A and 120B do not work together, and as far as the user sees them, they can operate as a program on a conventional single workstation. Dialogue control communication channel 7
0 and the interactive communication 80 can be connected not only between two workstations but also between n workstations in a loop or a tree.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram representing the basic configuration of an interaction system consisting of two workstations IA and IB that implements the present invention. The central processing unit (CPU) 6 executes processing according to program instructions read from the storage device 11. The storage device 11 stores dialogue control programs and communication programs.

It stores various application programs including dialogue target programs, dialogue target data, etc. display 2
The CPU 6 displays the information on the bitmap processor (BM).
BMP7 executes by issuing an instruction to P)7. The BMP 7 manages a frame memory 8 that stores screen contents as image data in accordance with instructions from the CPU 6.

The contents of frame memory 8 are stored in display controller 9.
is displayed on display 2. The keyboard driver 12 stores the code input from the keyboard 3 in the register 16. The pointing device driver 13 stores data input from the pointing device 4 in the register 17. In this embodiment, an I
S D N (Integrated 5ervic
PBX (Private Branch
eXchanga) 15 is used. CPU
Each computer and telephone 5 represented by 6 are connected to the PBX 15 via their respective communication interface devices 14, and communicate with the other device via the PBX 15.

The CPU 6 establishes a communication path 70 via the PBX 15 and performs data communication between computers using the communication path, and the telephone 5 performs voice communication after the communication path is established. However, only the telephone is connected to the exchange, and the computer is
alArea Network) indicates another network data area such as a packet switch. The memory 11 includes an operating system (O8) 90, a multi-window management system 140 for controlling the operation of multi-window display, a window management table 141 used by the system 140, and an interaction control system to be described in detail later. The program 100, a plurality of application programs 130-1 to 130-N each having a unique function, and a virtual terminal in which processing results by the application programs are stored in correspondence with a plurality of windows set on the screen. (herein referred to as logical screen memory) 151 to 150M, an exchange data file area 160 for storing data to be sent to other workstations, and a memory area 160 for storing already created document data. It also includes a document file area 170 where the documents are stored. Note that a part of the memory 11 may be constituted by a secondary memory such as a floppy disk, and programs or data may be loaded into a high-speed memory area as necessary.

As shown in FIG. 8, the dialogue control program 100 includes an input virtualization program 200 and a virtual input distribution module 3.
00, virtual input reception module 400, virtual input analysis module 500, pointing object manipulation module 600, pointing object redisplay module 700, authentication module 800, and data or command exchange between these modules. The receiver consists of data path areas (data flow paths) 100T to 100J used for handing over, and an interaction control area 15 that stores various tables. One dialogue divided by 1,000 se+→ is controlled by a set of dialogue control programs, and each workstation is equipped with a plurality of dialogue control programs to realize a plurality of dialogue books+乎≠4 at the same time.

FIG. 9 shows the relationship between each module of the above-mentioned dialogue control program 100 and the relationship of the dialogue control program with other programs.

First, the data flow path (IIOT to 110J) will be explained. The data flow path is used to receive and transfer data between two processes. Two processes may be the same, but processes that exchange data first establish a data flow path between them. A process sending data places the data on a data path, and a process receiving data retrieves data from the data path. The order in which data is retrieved is according to the order in which it was placed, and the data can be retrieved in units of data at the time it was placed. Usage of one data flow path is not limited to two specific processes. For example, if many processes want to send data to one process, only one data flow path is provided, each sending process puts data in the data flow path, and the receiving process sends data to the data flow path. You can extract the data from. The direction in which data flows through the data flow path can be specified as bidirectional or unidirectional, and this can be freely set by the process using the data flow path. In addition, in FIG. 9 and the explanation of each module function here, the details of the data format and the state management table are omitted. These will be discussed after the module functions are explained.

In FIG. 9, input data (or commands) from an input device such as a keyboard 3 or a pointing device 4 is once received by an input virtualization module 200, and the data provided between this module and an input distribution module 300 is It is written in the flow path 110T. Data or instructions from other application programs 130 are also written into the data flow path 110T. In this specification, "virtualization The term "human power" is used. The data placed in the data flow path 110T is received by the virtual input distribution module (300) regardless of where it is generated. Due to the functions of the input virtualization module 100, the data flow path 110T, and the virtual input distribution module 300, the interaction control program can be operated from an input device or from a program including itself.

In an electronic interaction, the virtual input distribution module 300
It serves the basic function of showing the same content to the interlocutor. That is, the data received from the data flow path 110T is transmitted to other modules described below for processing within the dialog control program, and the dialog control communication Through the path 70-1, the other party dialogue control program 10
Can be used against 0B. The processing after passing to the other party's dialogue control program is shown in FIG.
The process is the same as that performed after the virtual input receiving module 400 receives the data transmitted from the virtual input receiving module 400 through the interaction control communication path 70-B.

Now, the data received by the virtual input distribution module 300 and the virtual input reception module 400 are stored in the data flow path 110A and processed for interaction control. Dialogue control functions can be roughly divided into the following: operation of a dialogue target program, control of a PO (pointing object), and authentication of dialogue results between dialogue participants.

In order to determine which of these is to be performed, the data flow path 1
The data stored in 10A is analyzed by a virtual input analysis module (600). If the data indicates an operation of the dialog target program 120, the data is passed to the dialog target program 120 via the data flow path 110E. If it means PO operation, the data is passed to the PO operation module 600 via the data flow path 110C, and if it means PO redisplay, the data is passed to the PO operation module 600 via the data flow path 110R. If the data is passed to the redisplay module 700 and indicates data authentication, the data is passed to the authentication module 800 via the data flow path 110J. Dialogue target program 120, PO operation module 6
00, po redisplay module 700, authentication module 8
00 outputs data such as texts, tables, graphs, figures, images, etc. that constitute the dialog objects to the logical screen memory (virtual terminal) 150 according to the results of each process. The output result is displayed on the display 2 by the function of the window management system 140.

10A to 10D show examples of menu screens displayed on each workstation 1 for the user to input operation commands during the process of executing electronic dialogue. These menu screens are displayed on the display 2. is displayed in one dialog control window A60 or B2O provided in .

FIG. 10A is a menu screen that is displayed in response to the user selecting a command or icon for specifying electronic dialogue or electronic conference from the function selection menu displayed by O8. Control menu 71. A state is reached in which either the telephone 72 or conference material restore 3 can be selected using the cursor.

When the user selects the dialog control menu 71, the menu shown in FIG. 10B is displayed, and includes options for participating in the dialog 71A, specifying participants 71B, withdrawing from the dialog 71C1, ending the dialog 71D.
You will be able to select one of the following. Participant designation 71B
If you select , for example, a list of members that has already been prepared will be displayed. When you select a conversation partner from among them,
A command is issued to establish a control channel 70 with the partner workstation. If the person with whom you want to talk is not on the member list, you can enter data for specifying the other party's workstation using the keyboard.

When the telephone 72 is selected, the telephone number restore 2A shown in FIG. 10C is displayed, and a call can be made by automatic dialing to a member specified in the list.

When any of the materials shown in the conference materials restore 3 is selected, the menu shown in FIG. Joint use order 73B, which is an order to establish 80, order to discontinue joint use 73C1, order to attenuate the materials distributed to ≥ participants in the meeting or dialogue, and 73D to cut off the logical communication channel, and create a PO. instruction 73E to instruct;
Instruction 73E for instructing the destruction of PO.

Command 73G for instructing the start of PO operation; Command 73H1 for instructing the end of PO operation. In addition to prohibiting operations on the dialog window at other stations, the operation results on the dialog window at the own station are transferred to other stages. Command 73J to stop the dialogue in order to change to a mode in which no information is transmitted; command 73K to cancel the above mode and restart the dialogue mode; command 73L to command to share data with other stations; The command 73M for instructing window switching and the command 73N for instructing data authentication operation can be selected.

Next, the details of the functions of each module mentioned above will be explained.

FIG. 11 shows the flow of input virtualization module 200 processing. This module receives and receives data from each input device 3, 4 connected to the CPU (step 202).
, place these data in the data flow path 110T < (20
4). If the input data is for menu selection in the dialog control window A60, the state of the menu screen is updated as explained in FIGS. 10B to 10D according to the selection result (step 203). When one material is selected from the material restore 3 on the menu screen of FIG. 10A, the function of 0890 is used.

One application program 130 corresponding to this material is activated, and a new window for displaying the material appears on the screen.

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate the virtual input distribution module 3.
00 processing flow is shown. This module first takes out the data placed in the data flow path 110T (step 302). If the input data is a command for establishing the dialogue control communication channel 6o (304), it is checked whether the communication channel has already been established (306), and if it has been established, nothing is done. If not yet established, all existing POs are discarded 308) in preparation for movement with the partner workstation, and an interaction control channel is established 310) and set to established mode (312).

At this time, by changing the frame color or background color of the dialog target window, the user is notified of the dialog state.

If the input data is a communication path disconnection command (314), it is checked whether the communication path has already been disconnected (316), and if it is already disconnected, nothing is done. If not already disconnected,
In preparation for re-movement, all existing POs are to be discarded (318), and a communication path disconnection command is sent to the other party's dialogue program (320).
The communication path is disconnected (322), and the disconnected mode is set (324). At this time, change the frame color or background color of the dialog target window to the same color as the local window.

If the input data is a file transfer command for transferring the contents of the exchange data file 160 to the partner workstation (326), check whether a communication path has already been established (328), and if not, send a message to that effect. An alarm is issued (329). If established, the same command is first sent to the other party's interaction control program (330), and then the data exchange file is transferred (332).

If the input data is a shared use command (334),
A logical communication path 80 is established to make the window corresponding to this command an interaction window (336), and a shared use command is sent to the partner station (337). If the input data is a joint use stop command (338), the logical communication path is disconnected (340), and the joint use stop command is sent to the other stage (341). Furthermore, step 33
7. When sending a command to the other station using 341,
The object of joint use (material name) and the identifier of the corresponding dialogue target program are simultaneously communicated to the other party.

If the above instructions do not apply, the virtual input analysis module 60
0 (342), and if the logical communication path is established (344), the other party's dialogue control program, in detail,
Send the data to the virtual input receiving module 400 (34
6). This module repeats the above operations.

FIG. 13 shows the flow of processing of the virtual input receiving module 400. This module first prepares to establish a control communication channel (402), waits for an establishment request from the other party's interaction control program, and then establishes the communication channel (404). Since the communication path established here is for data reception, the virtual input distribution module 300 of its own dialogue control program
It is necessary to encourage the establishment of a communication channel for data transmission. For this purpose, a communication path establishment command is placed in the data flow path 110T (4
0B). Thereby, the virtual input distribution module 300 operates as if it were requested to establish a communication path through the input device. After the communication path is established in this way, 1
This module receives and receives data from the other party's dialogue device (
408).

If the input data is a communication path disconnection command (410), the reception communication path is disconnected (412), and a communication path disconnection command is issued to the data flow path 110T to disconnect the transmission communication path (414); As in the case of establishment, the virtual input distribution module 300 disconnects the transmission communication path, and receives a communication path establishment request from the other party's dialogue control program (402, 40
4). Next, if the input data is a data exchange file transfer command (416), which is a type of operation at the dialog control level described in FIG. 5, then the file data sent from the other party's dialog control program is received. (418).

If the input data is not the above command, the data is placed in the data flow path 110A (420). After the above processing, this module receives the data sent from the partner dialog control program (408).

14A and 14B show the virtual input analysis module 5
00 processing flow is shown. This module includes a virtual manpower distribution module 300 and a virtual input receiving module 4.
It functions to analyze the data sent from 00 and pass it to the module that performs subsequent processing. This module is
Data is received from the data flow path 110A (502).

If the data is a PO creation command (504), a Po is created on the virtual screen memory (virtual terminal) (506), and at this time, the Po already created mode is set.

If the input data is a PO destruction command (510), the PO existing in the virtual terminal is destroyed (512), and at this time the PO already created mode is canceled. PO creation (506) and PO
Detailed rules for the discard (512) (7) procedure will be described later with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. If the input data is a Po operation start command (516), check whether the PO already created mode is set. , P
○Set the operation mode (524). Input data is PO
If it is an operation end command (526), the P◯ operation mode is canceled (528).

Before proceeding to process the next two instructions, the "
Explain the meaning of the term 'dialogue'. As explained in FIG. 5, the logical communication channels used in electronic dialog include the dialog control channel 70, which is responsible for communication between dialog control programs.
There is an interaction communication path 80 that provides a path for distributing data to the interaction target program. Hereinafter, when talking about stopping and restarting a dialogue, data exchange at the level of the dialogue communication 8o will be discussed. Even in this case, communication between the interaction control programs, such as exchange of PO control data that operates independently of the interaction target program, is still taking place.

Now, let us return to the explanation of FIG. 14A. If the input data is a dialogue stop command (530), the issuer ID of the dialogue stop command
532) and set the dialogue stop mode (534). The interaction control state management table in which these modes are set will be described later. If the input data is a dialogue restart command (536), the previously registered issuer ID of the dialogue stop command is deleted (538), and the dialogue stop mode is canceled (540). If the state of the dialog control is the PO operation mode (542), the data flow path 110 is used to pass the data to the P○ operation module 600 in charge of PO operation.
The data is placed in C (544). On the other hand, if the other party is in the dialogue stop mode (546), only data at the dialogue control communication level, that is, PO operation data, is exchanged, so the data is ignored. If it is not the dialogue stop mode, it is checked whether the data is a data authentication command (548), and if it is a data authentication command, the data flow path 110 is activated to activate the data authentication module.
The data is placed in J (550).

If the input data does not correspond to any of the above, the data is passed to the dialog target program 120 by placing the data in the data flow path 110E (552). When input data is placed in the data flow path 110E or the data flow path 110C, it may be necessary to redisplay the PO. The reason for this is that since the PO is implemented independently of the dialog target program, the display may be destroyed depending on the operation of the dialog target program.

In this case, the display must be restored as quickly as possible and without bothering the interlocutor. Therefore, in this module, it is necessary to determine whether it is necessary to redisplay Po as the input data is processed (554), and if redisplay is unnecessary, data l Ol is placed in the data flow path 110R (554).
56), and if redisplay is necessary, place data 11' in the data flow path 110R (558).

FIG. 15 shows the flow of processing related to input and output of the dialog target program 120. This module retrieves data from the data flow path 110E (122), performs processing on the interaction object (124), and outputs the result to the logical screen memory corresponding to this program (126).
The processing for the dialog target means the original function of the dialog target program, for example, if the program is a document editing program, it is document editing, if the program is a table editing or calculation program, it is table editing or calculation, and data storage/retrieval. If it is a program, it is data accumulation search processing.

FIG. 16 shows the processing flow of the PO operation module 600. The six modules take out data from the data flow path 110C (602), and if it is position data for PO movement (604), first, The PO displayed at the current position is deleted (606), the current position value of the PO is updated to a new value given from the data (608), and the PO is drawn at the updated current position (610). Data other than po movement position data is ignored.

FIG. 17 shows the processing flow of the PO redisplay module 700. In this module, PO redisplay is repeatedly executed at certain intervals, and the time until the next redisplay is called a redisplay interval. In order to perform quick redisplay and avoid unnecessary redisplay, this embodiment dynamically changes the redisplay interval. The redisplay interval is set to, for example, 1 (second) as an initial value (702). It is checked whether data is placed in the data flow path 110R, and if there is no data, it waits for 1 second (706G). Then, if the second redisplay time has not arrived, the data flow path 110R is checked again (708), and if it is the next redisplay time, the redisplay interval is increased by 1 (710), and the redisplay of the already created PO is executed ( 718). When data is found by checking the data flow path 110R (704), if the data is 10' (71
2) Since there is no need to redisplay until data '1' arrives, the redisplay interval is set to infinity (actually, a sufficiently large number) (714). If the data is '1' (7
12), this means the occurrence of a situation that requires new redisplay, so initialize the redisplay interval to 1 and then perform (71)
6) Execute redisplay of the already created PO (718). In this way, unnecessary redisplays are avoided, while redisplays are quickly activated if necessary.

Next, we will explain the data format adopted in this embodiment to realize the functions described above and the dialog control area 1.
The dialogue state management table and Po management table stored in 15 will be explained.

FIG. 18 shows a data format 2000 used inside the dialog control program 100.

In order to give versatility to the dialog control program 100 when used from a program, the present invention provides that the data placed in the data flow path 110T shown in FIG. This is a conventional data format that is generated by computers (such as computers, pointing devices, etc.). Similarly, in order to utilize general application software that has been conventionally used as the dialogue target program 120, the conventional data format is also adopted in the data flow path 110E in which data to be passed to the dialogue target program 120 is placed. Dialogue target program 120. Naturally, the format of data issued by the PO operation module eoo, the PO redisplay module 700, and the authentication module 800 to the logical screen memory (virtual terminal) 150 is a conventional data format.

That is, the data format shown in FIG. 18 is data that the virtual input distribution module 300 sends to the other party's dialogue control program, data that is placed in the data flow path 110A, and data that the virtual input receiving module 400 receives from the other party's dialogue control program. and the data placed in the data flow path 110A, the data that the virtual input analysis module 600 extracts from the data flow path 110A, the data flow path 110E, and the data flow path 110.
C, data placed in the data flow path 110R, data flow path 11oJ, data retrieved from the data flow path 110E by the interaction control program, data retrieved from the data flow path 110C by the P○ operation module 600, PO redisplay module 7
00 is used as the format of the data taken out from the data flow path 110R, and the format of the data taken out by the authentication module 800 from the data flow path 110J.

This data format includes the dialogue control program identifier 2002,
It consists of PO2 identifier 2004 and virtual input data 2006. The dialogue control program identifier 2002 specifies the dialogue control program in which this data has been generated. For example, the dialogue control program identifier 2002 is a combination of the network address of the switch where the dialogue partner program exists, the program name, or its abbreviation. I can express it. The identifier disconnects the logical interaction channel 80 and the virtual input distribution module 30
This is used, for example, when accepting only input received through virtual input receiving module 400 and ignoring input received from the other party's dialogue control program through virtual input receiving module 400. The PO identifier 20o4 specifies the Po to be operated when this data relates to the operation of Po. Virtual input data 2006 is conventional format data generated from an input device. However, if the data is the dialogue target program 120
For example, if the data is for interaction control such as PO creation, it is natural that the interaction target program 120 may not be able to understand the data.

FIG. 19 shows the contents of the dialogue management table aooo that manages the dialogue control state in the dialogue control program 100. This table handles information regarding the establishment of a dialogue communication channel and the settings of the dialogue communication channel. This table contains the communication channel mode identifier 3002. It consists of an interaction mode setter identifier 3004 and an interaction mode identifier 3006.

The communication channel mode identifier 3o02 distinguishes between established and non-established interaction control channels. The dialogue mode setter identifier 3004 specifies the dialogue control program that has requested the disconnection and restart of the dialogue communication channel.

The interaction mode identifier 3006 distinguishes whether the interaction channel is disconnected or has been restarted.

FIG. 20 shows that in the dialog control program 100, Po
It shows the contents of a Po management table 4000 that manages the operation status. This table handles information regarding Po operation-related modes, Po display-related data, and the like. This table contains the PO owner identifier 4002. P
O identifier 4004, PO creation mode identifier 4006. P
o Operation mode identifier 4008, current position data 4010
゜It is composed of form data 4012. PO owner identifier 4002 identifies the interaction control program that created the PO. The PO identifier 4004 identifies the Po among the POs used by the PO owner. The po creation mode identifier 4006 distinguishes whether the PO has already been created on the virtual terminal 150. The Po operation mode identifier 4008 distinguishes whether or not the interaction control program is in the PO operation state. Current position data 4010 stores the position where the Po is displayed on the virtual terminal. The configuration data 4012 is stored in the virtual terminal.
Stores information such as shape and color when displayed.

Creation and destruction of PO will be explained based on the contents of the above Po management table.

FIG. 21 shows the processing flow of the Po creation routine (step 506 in FIG. 14A). The data instructing PO creation includes information regarding the initial display position of the PO, its form, and the like.

To create a new PO, first secure an area to create a Po management table (902), and enter the PO owner identifier 4.
Set the value of the dialogue control program identifier 2002 as 002 (904), and set the value of PO as the PO identifier 4004.
Set the value of the identifier 2004 (906), and set "Created" as the PO creation mode identifier 4006.90
8), “Not operated” as Po operation mode identifier 4008
Set 910), initial display position data given to the Po creation command as current position data 4010 912), set display form data given to the Po creation command as form data 4o12 914
), the logical screen memory 15 indicated by the current position data 4010
0 in the form indicated by the form data 4012 (916).

FIG. 22 shows the processing flow of the Po discard routine (step 512 in FIG. 14A). To destroy a PO, delete the display of the PO whose PO owner identifier 4002 matches the interaction control program identifier 2002 and whose PO identifier 4004 matches the PO identifier 20o4 (922);
The management table corresponding to the PO is discarded (924).

In FIG. 2, we have described an operation in which both interlocutors use data that only one interlocutor has.

It is the function of the dialogue target program 120 to import external data into the dialogue target. However, if only one of the interlocutors has the target data, and the two dialogue target programs are linked together, there is a risk that an unexpected situation will occur in the computer where the data does not exist. In order to avoid this, in this embodiment, when an operation is performed in a state where the environments of both interlocutors do not match, a measure is taken to temporarily stop the interlocking between the dialog target programs (120). Hereinafter, a method for realizing one function will be described in detail according to FIGS. 23A and 23E.

First, we will discuss how the dialogue target program imports external data. Importing external data consists of two stages. In the first step, the target data is stored in a data exchange file in a format that the interaction target program 120 can understand. The second step is to actually capture the data from the data exchange file. As can be seen, in the first stage it is necessary that the target data exists.5 In the second stage, it is sufficient that the data exchange file exists. According to the method adopted in this example,
- temporarily disconnect the logical dialogue communication path 80 and perform the first stage processing in the dialogue target program, for example 120A, on the workstation side where the target data exists;
- The created data exchange file is passed through the dialogue control communication path 7o to the dialogue control programs 100A and 10.
The data is transferred between the two stations, and the programs 120A and 120B having the same content are linked to each other.

23A to 23E are conceptual diagrams similar to FIG. 5. Now, it is assumed that the target data exists in the environment of station A and that the user of station A has issued a dialogue stop command C1 (FIG. 23A).

As a result, the logical dialogue channel 80 is disconnected, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 23B.6 In this embodiment, when the dialog channel 80 is disconnected by one station A, the other station B However, the data cannot be passed to the dialogue target program 120B on the own side. At station A, data exchange file creation command C
2, data exchange file 16 from the desired data
Create 0A.

FIG. 23C shows a state in which the data exchange file transfer command C3 issued by station A is transmitted to the other party's dialogue control program 100B through the dialogue control channel (70). Data exchange file transfer is also executed via the interaction control channel (70), and an exchange file 160B with the same content as the file (60A) is created on the B side (FIG. 23D). Once that is completed, the dialog channel 80 is resumed (Figure 23E). After both environments match, instructions Cn that utilize data exchange files 160A and 160B can be effectively processed at both stations simultaneously.

Next, a method for authenticating data or documents created through dialogue in this embodiment will be described. First, let us define the terms "official authentication data" and "informal authentication data" used below. Data A is "authentication data" created by a certain authenticator It is to be. That is, f (D, X) = f
If (D', X'), then D=D' or ")X=X'
is true. In this embodiment, a combination of public key cryptographic processing and data compression type cryptographic processing is used as such f.

In public key cryptography, a secret encryption key e and a public decryption key d are used. Let h be the data compression function.

As shown in FIG. 24, data D is first compressed to an appropriate size by h (1002), and then encrypted by
e (1004) and becomes authentication data.

"Official authentication data" is authentication data that indicates that certain data has been officially approved, and "informal authentication data" is authentication data that indicates that the other party's official authentication data has been received for certain data. This is authentication data that indicates that you have decided to send your official authentication data after receiving it.

FIG. 25 shows the processing flow of the authentication module 800. This module was placed in data flow path 110J. A data authentication command including data indicating the location of the dialogue target data being processed by the dialogue target program 120 is retrieved, and a confirmation is made that the data currently being processed by both speakers match, and that guarantee. In the following, a method of mutually exchanging authentication data called temporary sealing, which is implemented in this embodiment, will be explained first, and then a method of confirming authenticity will be explained.

When this module 800 receives a data authentication command from the data flow path 110J, it uses the dialog control program identifier 20
02, it is checked whether the command is a command sent from the other work stage (802). If the issuer of the command is the other interlocutor, the non-official authentication data of the other interlocutor may also be received (804), and the validity of the data may be confirmed (80).
6) Create your own formal authentication data (808), and send this data and, if necessary, your own seal impression information to the other party (809). If there is seal imprint information (8
10), and displays this on the dialog target data or document on the user's side (811). After that, receive the official authentication data of the other party and, if necessary, the seal imprint information (812).
, confirm the validity of the data (813). When the other party's seal imprint information is received (814), it is displayed on the data or document that is the subject of dialogue on one's side (815).On the other hand, if the issuer of the data authentication command is one's own Create informal authentication data (816) and send the data to the other interlocutor (818). Next, receive the official authentication data of the other party and, if necessary, the seal information.
20), the validity of the data is confirmed (821). When receiving the other party's seal imprint information (822), display it on the data or document that is the subject of dialogue on your side (823).
.

Next, the user creates his or her own formal authentication data (824), and transmits the data and, if necessary, his or her seal imprint information to the other interlocutor (826). If there is seal imprint information (82
8) Display this on the dialog target data or document on your side (830). Of course, in order to simplify the process, it is possible to omit the creation, transmission and reception, and confirmation of the informal authentication data, and it is also possible to omit the transmission, reception, and display of the seal impression.

Next, referring to FIG. 26, a method for confirming the validity of the received authentication data (steps 806 and 821 in FIG. 25) will be explained. It should be noted that in the electronic dialogue according to the present invention, the purpose is to confirm the identity of data to be interacted with, such as a document, which both speakers are looking at. The authentication data is created, for example, by compressing the target data using a compression function and then encrypting the data using a private encryption key. The received authentication data is decrypted using a public decryption key (110, 2), thereby obtaining data in which the conversation object held by the other party is compressed using a compression function. Next, create data obtained by compressing the data to be interacted with using a compression function (1104
). If this compressed data matches the decoded data (11
06), the received authentication data is valid (1110)
, if they do not match, the received authentication data is invalid (1
108).

Next, a processing module 7 is used to compare the contents of the dialog objects at the two stations, confirm their match/mismatch, and restore the matched state. This will be explained with reference to Fig. 2δ and Fig. 21.

This module is an optional module that is activated as needed within the dialog control program. In this embodiment, the dialogue control program of one of the two stations in dialogue takes the initiative and compares the contents of the dialogue targets.

FIG. 27 shows the operation of the side having the initiative, for example, station A, and FIG. 28 shows the operation of the dialog control program of the partner station B. First, FIG. 27 will be described. At the time of starting the dialogue, it is confirmed that the content of the dialogue target at the two stations (this refers to the collection of data that the dialogue target programs 12OA and 120B are trying to process) matches (2202
).

As an initial setting, the contents of the current dialogue target are set in the file area SC (2204), and the current time is set in the parameter T (2204).
206), the startup time interval of the dialog target content comparison operation is stored in parameter I (2208), and the file SF is cleared (2210). If the current time is less than T (2212), when data is placed in the data flow path 110E (2214), the data is added to SF (2216). In this way, data passed to the dialog target program e from time T to the present is stored in the file SF.

When the current time has passed by one or more than T (2212),
The setting of data to the data flow path 110E is temporarily stopped (2217), and the other party's dialogue control program is requested to transfer the other party's file SF (2218). According to the other party's dialogue control program (2222), the fact that the contents match is notified to the other party (2224). If they do not match, it means that a difference has occurred in the data processed by the two dialogue target programs from T to the current time. In this case, examine the data stored chronologically in SF and OF from the beginning, find a set of data that matches each other, and store this in file F (2226
). Next, the dialog target program 20A has the file SC
Based on the data stored in F, perform processing using the data (or instructions) stored in F, and make the processing result the content of the current modified dialogue target (2228)
. In addition, a message indicating that a content mismatch has been detected and step 222
The content of the modified dialogue target created in step 8 is communicated to the other party's dialogue control program (2230). 6 The modified content of the dialogue target created above is stored in the file SC for the next comparison (2232), and the current content is stored in T. Please set the time (2234)
, clear file SF 2236), data flow path 1
The prohibition of data setting to 10E is canceled (2238), and the process returns to step 2212. As a result, until time T+I,
New input data is stored in the data flow path 110E.

Next, the operation of the dialogue control program 100B of the other station B will be described according to FIG. Clear the file SF at the beginning of the dialogue (2'
302), if the start of comparison execution has not yet been notified from the other party (2304), when the data is placed in the data flow path 110 (2306), the data is added to the SF (2308).

In this way, SF has dialogue target program 120B.
The data passed to is stored.

When a request to transfer the file SF is received from the partner program 100A (2304), the setting of data to the data flow path 110E is temporarily stopped (2310), the contents of the file SF are sent to the partner dialogue control program (2312), and the comparison result is sent. (2314). If it is notified that the content of the dialogue target between the two parties does not match (2316), the content of the sent dialogue target is newly set as the content of the current dialogue target (2318). After that, for the next comparison, clear the file SF (2320) and cancel the prohibition of data setting to the data flow path 110E (232).
2), data flow path 110E until the comparison is made again.
Store input data in . In this way, differences in the contents of the dialogue target can be detected using a relatively small amount of data, that is, data issued to the dialogue target program.

Using the workstation described above, a user can interact or hold a conference with other users as follows.

In time for the meeting, each user selects the icon representing the meeting (or electronic dialogue) from a function selection menu that appears on the display screen by turning on the workstation. As a result, the dialog control menu 70 explained in FIG. 10A is displayed in the dialog control window A60, and the dialog control program 1
00A is activated and the input devices 3, 4 are placed under the control of the input virtualization module. Members other than the organizer select the dialog control menu 71 and then select participation 71A. As a result, the virtualization input receiving module 400
is in a state of waiting for a request to establish the dialogue control channel 60. The user who becomes the organizer selects the member designation 71B, and then specifies the conversation partner. As a result, a request to establish an interaction control channel is issued to the other station, and a control channel 70 is established between the stays 232. If the meeting is held by 3 or more members, the other members are designated one after another. When the establishment of the control communication channel 70 is completed, the frame color or background color of the control window A60 changes, allowing the user to recognize that dialogue preparation is complete.

When the organizer user selects one material to be distributed to members from the material restore 3, the command menu shown in FIG. 10D appears in the dialog control window A60.

Further, an application program corresponding to the specified material is activated, and a portion of the content of the material is output to a new window on one screen.

The organizer user issues distribution command 7 from the command menu.
If 3A is selected, the data making up the above material will be transmitted to other stations. At this time, by remembering that the material has been distributed in the table that manages the menu 70, the color of the icon of the distributed material can be changed the next time the menu 70 is displayed.

In this state, when the organizer user inputs a shared usage command, the display window for the above-mentioned materials becomes an interactive window mode, and the three colors of the window change to distinguish it from other local windows.

Since the shared use command is also sent to the other station, the window for the above-mentioned materials becomes the dialog window at the other station as well.

When a user creates a document in one window on the display screen and uses it jointly, the created document is associated with the dialog control window A60 or B2O,
The above operations can be performed after placing the program under the control of the dialog control program. Since the control menu 70 corresponds to one interaction control program, multiple materials can be targeted for interaction at the same time if they are registered in the material restore 3.

If you issue an order to stop shared use of materials that have already been discussed, the shared use mode will be canceled and you can return to personal use. At this time, the color of the window displaying the material and the material icon changes, making it possible to distinguish it from the shared material.

If a withdrawal command 71G is input from one station during a meeting or dialogue, the dialogue control channel for that station is erased. When the user wants to end the dialogue, when the organizer user inputs a material collection command 73D for the specified material, this command is transmitted to the other stage giants, and the memory of the distributed materials can be erased. Inputting the termination command 72A erases all control communication paths between stations.

In the present invention, if each station is provided with a plurality of pairs of control menus and dialogue control programs, one user can run a plurality of dialogue control programs at the same time on one station, allowing one user to combine different stations. You can participate in multiple meetings at the same time. In addition, at the same station, by looping back the data sent from the first dialog control program through O8 and inputting it to the second dialog control program, two windows set on the same screen can be placed in a dialog state with each other. It can also be done.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, the interactive communication system or collaborative information processing device provided by the present invention is capable of running various currently used programs in the same way on multiple workstations (computers). When used in conjunction with a telephone, it can use voice and data between remote locations to see information from each other, process it on the spot, and instantly present the results to all participants.

According to the present invention, in a workstation with a multi-window function, it is possible to decide at any time whether or not a given window will be used for cooperative operation with other workstations, and when not linked, it can be used alone; You can directly enter into joint information processing.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a workstation that implements the present invention, FIGS. 2A to 4B are diagrams for explaining an example of operation in electronic dialogue and an example of display on a display, and FIG.
The figure is a conceptual diagram for explaining the relationship between the dialog control program that realizes electronic dialog and other programs, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a workstation that realizes electronic dialog, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the plurality of programs and data areas that are prepared.
A diagram for explaining the configuration of the dialogue control program 100,
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the mutual relationship between modules and other programs that constitute the dialogue control program;
10A to 10D are diagrams for explaining the I menu screen used for inputting commands for electronic interaction in a workstation; FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation procedure of the input virtualization module; 12A and 12B are flowcharts for explaining the operating procedure of the virtual input distribution module, FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operating procedure of the virtual input receiving module, and FIGS. 14A and 14
Figure B is a flowchart for explaining the operating procedure of the virtual input analysis module, Figure 15 is a flowchart for explaining the data input/output processing procedure of the dialog target program, and Figure 16 is the operating procedure of the pointing object manipulation module. A flowchart to explain the
A flowchart for explaining the operation procedure of the object redisplay module, FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the data format used in the dialog control program, and FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the dialog used for managing the dialog state and controlling the dialog. A diagram for explaining the management table, FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the pointing object management table used for managing pointing objects and operating pointing objects, and FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the pointing object creation process. FIG. 22 is a flowchart for explaining the pointing object destruction process; FIGS. 23A to 23E are diagrams for explaining the data exchange file creation and transfer process; Figure 24 is a flowchart for explaining the process of creating authentication data, Figure 25 is a flowchart for explaining the operation procedure of the authentication module, and Figure 26 is a flowchart for explaining the process of confirming the validity of authentication data. Flowchart, No. 27
The figure is a flowchart to explain the process of comparing the contents of the dialog objects executed at the mask side station and restoring the sameness if there is a difference. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a process for recovering the contents of a conversation target. FIG. Explanation of symbols A20. B20: Pointing object, A
10: Cursor, A30. B30. A50. B50,A
60. B60: Window, 100A, 100B: Dialogue control program. 12OA, 120B: Dialogue target program, 130A,
130B: Application (processing) program-7A, 140A, 14
0B: Window management system. Fig. 24 times Fig. 2B Fig. 6 Fig. 90 Fig. g 1θB Fig. Fig. fOD et al. Figure 20 Figure No. 16 Figure 21 Figure 22 Animals Figure 24 Figure 27 Figure 2F

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An interactive communication method using a communication system consisting of a plurality of stations connected to a communication line, each station having a multi-window control function for displaying a plurality of windows on a display screen. , establishing a control communication path between the second stations, and establishing the control communication path between one application program running on the first station and one application program running on the second station. from the first station to the second station via
establishing a logical communication path by sending one control command to the station; and disconnecting the logical communication path from one of the stations to the other station via the communication path. disconnecting the logical communication path by sending a control command; and when data or commands that change the display content of one window corresponding to the application program are input at the first station; processing this data or command by said application program and, if said recording logical channel is established, providing said data or command to said application program at a second station via said control channel. , and a logical communication path exists, the application program of the second station displays 1 on the display screen of the second station.
An interactive communication method characterized in that the contents of two windows are changed in the same way as the changes at the first station. 2. The interactive communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: transmitting one control command from one of the first and second stations to the other station via the control communication channel; establishing a logical communication path between another application program running on one station and another application program running on a second station; and one of the first and second stations; , when data or commands that change the display contents of another window corresponding to the above-mentioned another application program are input, this data or command is given to the above-mentioned another application program, and this data or command is , to another application program of the other station via the control communication path. 3. In the interactive communication method according to claim 1, the user distinguishes whether the logical communication path is established between the two application programs or the logical communication path is disconnected. An interactive communication method characterized in that the display state of a window corresponding to the application program at each station is switched so that the application program can be communicated at each station. 4. It consists of a plurality of terminal devices connected to a network and having a multi-window function, and each terminal device has a means for establishing a communication path with the terminal device with which it interacts, and a device that is displayed on a display screen. A means for specifying, for any window, whether the window is to be used jointly with the dialogue partner or used individually on the terminal device, and a user performs an input operation on one window on the display screen. and means for determining whether or not the content of the input operation is to be transmitted to the terminal device of the dialogue partner, depending on whether or not the window is in a shared use state;
A dialogue system characterized in that when an input operation is made by a user or when an input operation is received from a partner terminal device, a program corresponding to a window in which the input operation is performed is executed. 5. The dialog system according to claim 4, wherein when a window is in a shared use state, the window is displayed in a display state that can be distinguished from a window in an individual use state on the display screen.