JPH10111890A - Schedule adjustment method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform schedule adjustment relating to plural persons. SOLUTION: Mobile terminals 2-1-2-3 are information terminals carried and possessed by respective individuals and are provided with an individual schedule management function and a communication function for connecting a mobile terminal controller 1 or the like through a PHS network, a public network and a WAN/LAN 3, etc., by radio communication with the radio base station 5 of the PHS network. The mobile terminal controller 1 accesses the respective mobile terminals carried and possessed by schedule adjustment objects, receives respective individual schedule data, judges schedule free time in common to all members based on them, decides candidate date and time matched with schedule adjustment conditions from it and informs the respective mobile terminals 2-1-2-3 of them.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a schedule adjusting device for adjusting a schedule relating to a plurality of persons.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, a schedule management function for managing a personal schedule has been provided to a user or the like in a personal computer or a portable terminal.

In such a schedule management function, for example, by selecting and specifying a desired date and time from a displayed calendar or the like, a user's schedule can be input in a specified time zone. The user can later display the schedule contents entered as needed,
You can check the schedule.

[0004]

The above-described conventional schedule management function is suitable for use in individual schedule management, but performs a schedule adjustment involving a plurality of persons, for example, when determining the date and time of a meeting. I couldn't handle it if needed.

[0005] For this reason, when it is necessary to adjust the schedule of the conference as in the above example, the conference participants are notified that the conference will be held by telephone or e-mail, for example, and each participant is notified. And replying a convenient date and time with reference to each schedule.

[0006] For this reason, it takes time and effort until all the convenient days are decided, and not only the person in charge of schedule adjustment but also the time of all conference participants who receive the schedule inquiry many times. Wasting time.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a schedule adjusting apparatus for adjusting a schedule relating to a plurality of persons in a short time without labor of related persons.

[0008]

The schedule adjusting system according to the present invention comprises the following means. The schedule adjustment system includes a management control device connected to a network, and a plurality of information terminals that transmit and receive data to and from the management control device via the network.

Each of the information terminals includes a communication control means for transmitting and receiving data to and from the management control device via the network, a schedule storage means for storing personal schedule data, and in response to a request from the management control device. Schedule data management means for obtaining target data necessary for schedule adjustment from the personal schedule data and transmitting the target data to the management control device by the communication control means;

The management control device includes a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from each of the information terminals via the network, and a request for target data to each of the information terminals via the communication unit. A common free time zone, which is a common free time for all, is obtained based on each target data to be received, and a time zone that meets the schedule adjustment condition is determined from the obtained common free time zones and is set as a candidate date and time. Schedule adjusting means.

[0011] The information terminal is, for example, a mobile terminal carried by an individual, and the communication control means performs data communication with the management control device by performing wireless communication with a base station of a mobile communication network. Do.

[0012] In the schedule adjusting method by the schedule adjusting system, a plurality of subjects to be scheduled are individually stored in each mobile terminal from a mobile terminal carried by each mobile terminal. Of the schedules), and based on the individual schedule data, a common vacant time period, which is a time period in which the schedule is free for all the subjects, is determined. A time zone that satisfies the schedule adjustment condition in the common free time zone is set as a candidate date and time, and this candidate date and time is notified to the mobile terminal of each target person.

Further, when there are a plurality of candidate dates and times, for example, the candidate terminal is notified of the candidate date and time, the desired date and time and the inconvenient date and time are selected from the candidate dates and the selected result is returned. If the inconvenient date and time are selected according to the selection result returned from each mobile terminal, the candidate date and time excluding the inconvenient date and time are used as the candidate date and time. Then, the schedule date and time are determined by giving priority to the desired date and time of the person with the highest priority among the target persons, and the determined schedule date and time are notified to each mobile terminal.

[0014] The schedule adjustment system uses the schedule file data that has been input and updated in advance by the schedule management function, and uses the schedule file data to determine the free time zone in which all the schedule adjustment targets have free time. Based on the obtained free time zone and the preset schedule adjustment condition, a candidate date and time as a candidate for which a schedule date and time should be determined is obtained, and each target person is notified.

[0015] With this, candidates are narrowed down to dates and times at which all the subjects can set a schedule, and then each subject is notified. After that, if an appropriate date and time according to the situation is determined from the candidate dates and times, In addition, the burden on the parties involved in schedule adjustment can be significantly reduced. In addition, when the target person carries a mobile terminal having a communication function and a schedule management function, when a schedule adjustment request is made, the latest schedule data of each person can be obtained immediately and notification of the candidate date and time, A response such as an answer on a desired date can be reliably performed in a short time regardless of the location of each subject (even when going out).

[0016]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of a system related to the schedule adjustment device of the present embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the mobile terminal control unit 1 transmits and receives data and commands to and from the mobile terminal 2 and transmits and receives data to and from each mobile terminal 2 (or personal PC 4).
A server that performs schedule adjustment processing for a plurality of persons based on schedule data received from the server, schedule adjustment conditions, priorities, and the like.

The mobile terminal 2 is an information terminal that is carried and carried by each individual, for example, a pen input portable terminal. The mobile terminal 2 has at least an input / output function for inputting and displaying character data and the like, and a communication function for transmitting and receiving data to and from another device via a network.

The communication function is, for example, as shown in the mobile terminal 2-1 of FIG. 1, by performing wireless communication with a wireless base station 5 of a PHS network, and by using a mobile communication network such as a PHS network or a car telephone network. The mobile terminal control device 1 is connected via a fixed communication network such as a general public line network or an ISDN network, for example, to a WAN / LAN 3 which is an intra-company communication network. Alternatively, assuming that the WAN / LAN 3 is a wireless LAN, the mobile terminal 2-3 communicates with the optical link unit 7 for optical communication by, for example, emitting and receiving infrared light, like the mobile terminal 2-3. Further, like the mobile terminal 2-2, the communication is performed by connecting to a network by wire using, for example, a SCSI cable or the like.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the mobile terminal 2, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of its configuration. In FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 1
Reference numeral 0 denotes, for example, a pen-input portable terminal device, and an LCD display / input unit 11, a wireless antenna 12, a microphone 13, a speaker 14, a switch 15, an infrared light emitting / receiving unit 16 for optical communication, a wired communication interface 17, an IC card It is composed of a slot 18 and the like.

The LCD display / input unit 11 is, for example, a liquid crystal display screen integrated with a touch panel. The LCD display / input unit 11 displays characters, graphics, and the like on the screen and detects input coordinates on the screen (on the touch panel) by a pen or the like. Is used to perform command selection input and character input.

The mobile terminal 10 is, for example, of a type having a built-in PHS function, and the radio antenna 12 is for performing radio communication with a radio base station of a PHS network. This is PHS
The network is not limited to a network, and may be, for example, an automobile telephone network or the like, as long as wireless communication is performed with a wireless base station of a mobile communication network connected to a public line network or the like.

The microphone 13 and the speaker 14 are mainly used for telephone conversation when the mobile terminal 10 is used as a PHS machine.
It may have a voice recognition function, and input and output data using the microphone 13 and the speaker 14.

The switch 15 turns on the power of the mobile terminal 10.
/ OFF switch. Infrared light emitting / receiving part 16
Is a configuration for optical communication, and the optical link unit 7 in FIG.
By transmitting or receiving an infrared pulse to and from the mobile terminal control device 1, for example, data is transmitted and received.

The wired communication interface 17 is connected to the network connection terminal 6 of the WAN / LAN 3 using a communication cable or the like to transmit and receive data with the mobile terminal controller 1, for example, a connector, a modem, etc. It is composed of

The IC card slot 18 is a slot in which an IC card can be inserted and removed, and is used for reading out programs, data, and the like stored in the IC card or writing data to the IC card.

Although the above configuration is for the mobile terminal 10 with a built-in PHS function, it may be used by connecting to the PHS machine 20. In this case, the wireless antenna 1
2. The configuration of the microphone 13, and the speaker 14 may not be provided.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the mobile terminal 10. 2, an LCD 31, an LCD driver 32, a memory 33, an LCD control unit 34, and a touch panel control unit 35 have a circuit configuration related to the LCD display / input unit 11 in FIG.

The LCD 31 is a liquid crystal display panel integrated with a touch panel. The LCD driver 32 is a driver that drives each liquid crystal display element of the LCD 31 under the control of the LCD control unit 34. The memory 33 is a memory in which display data is temporarily stored under the control of the CPU 44. The LCD control unit 34 controls the driving of the LCD driver 32 based on the display data stored in the memory 33. The LCD control unit 34 operates under the instruction control of the CPU 44. In addition, the touch panel control unit 35
By detecting the pen touch position on the touch panel of the CD 31 and notifying the CPU 44 or the like of the detection result, a command selection input determination process, a handwritten character input recognition process, and the like are performed.

Microphone 36, A / D converter 37 and microphone control unit 38, speaker 39, D / A converter 4
0 and the loudspeaker control unit 41 are the microphone 1 of FIG.
3. The circuit configuration of the speaker 14, which is mainly for conversation when the mobile terminal 2 is used as a PHS. Note that P
Although a circuit configuration for realizing the HS function is not specifically shown, a general PHP (personal handy phone) is used.
Shall be used.

The audio data (analog signal) input to the microphone 36 is converted into digital data by the A / D converter 37 and output to the microphone control unit 38. The microphone control unit 38 further applies compression such as ADPCM. The digital data is output to the bus.

On the other hand, the digital audio data is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 40 under the control of the speaker control unit 41 and is output from the speaker 39 as audio.

IC card IF (interface) 42
Is an interface for reading data, various application programs, and the like from the IC card 43 inserted into the IC card slot 18 in FIG.

The CPU 44 is a central processing unit for controlling the entire mobile terminal. The RAM 45 is a battery backup memory that stores character / graphic data input from the LCD display / input unit 11. The ROM 46 stores various application programs and the LCD display / input unit 11.
Is a storage medium for storing data such as an initial display screen to be displayed on the storage medium. Various application programs are RO
In addition to the M46, the information may be stored in the IC card 43 or the RAM 45. In this embodiment, for example, the RAM 4
5, a schedule management program and schedule data are stored.

The communication control unit 47 includes the wired communication driver 4
8 (a modem or the like), an optical communication driver 49 (an infrared light emitting / receiving unit or the like) or a wireless transceiver 50 (a wireless antenna or the like) to transmit and receive data.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram of the mobile terminal control device. In the figure, a CPU 51 is a central processing unit that controls the entire mobile terminal control device.

The RAM 52 is a memory for temporarily storing data necessary for schedule adjustment processing, such as a list of prospective conference participants, which will be described later, and schedule data (vacant time data) received from each mobile terminal.

The storage device 53 is, for example, an HDD (hard disk drive) that stores an OS (operating system), various application programs (at least an application program for realizing the function of the schedule adjusting device of the present embodiment), data, and the like.

The storage medium driving device 54 executes the reading of programs and data stored in a portable storage medium 55 to be described later, or the writing of data to the portable storage medium 55 under the control of the CPU 51. Yes, for example, FDD (Floppy Disk Drive), CD-R
OM drive, IC card interface, etc.

The portable storage medium 55 has a format in which an application program for realizing at least the function of the schedule adjusting device according to the present embodiment on the mobile terminal control device side is readable by the medium drive device 54 and executable by the CPU 51. It is a storage medium to be stored. The portable storage medium 55 is a portable storage medium that can be detachably attached to a computer device such as the mobile terminal control device 1. The portable storage medium 55 is, for example, an FD (floppy disk), an MO (magneto-optical disk), a CD-RO
A recording medium for magnetically and optically recording data or a semiconductor memory for electrically storing data, such as an M or IC card.

The network connection device 56 is a WAN / L
A communication unit connected to a network such as the AN 3 for transmitting and receiving data between the mobile terminal control device 1 and other devices (such as the personal PC 4 and the mobile terminal 2).

Here, application programs, data, etc. for realizing the functions of the schedule adjusting device according to the present embodiment (functions on the mobile terminal control device 1 side) are always stored in the storage device 53 or the portable storage medium 55. It is not limited to what you keep. Using the communication function of the network connection device 56, the application program, data, and the like according to the present embodiment are transferred from another device (not shown) connected via a network such as the WAN / LAN 3 as necessary. Then, this may be received and stored. Further, an application program, data, and the like for realizing the function of the schedule adjustment device according to the present embodiment are stored in a storage medium in another device (not shown) connected via the communication line. At times, these application programs, data, and the like may be used via a communication line.

Although not particularly shown, the mobile terminal controller 1 may further include a display unit such as a display, an input unit such as a keyboard, and a printing unit such as a printer.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a part of the structure of a frame transmitted from a mobile terminal. Note that the frame configuration shown in the figure shows an example of a case where communication is performed within a corporate LAN, for example. When communication is performed via a PHS network, a public line network, ISDN, the Internet, etc., for example, TCP
/ IP packet or the like includes the above frame configuration element.

In the figure, a frame 60 includes LAN control data 61, a command 62, data 63, and a mobile terminal identification code 64. The LAN control data 61 is
It consists of data such as a destination address and an identification number of the own device (mobile terminal identification code 64) necessary for sending data to a communication destination device (mobile terminal control device 1 or the like) via the WAN / LAN 3.

The command 62 includes a processing instruction 65, a processing content switch 66, and a command end code 67.
The processing instruction 65 is an instruction code that is predetermined corresponding to each processing instruction, for example, an instruction code corresponding to a schedule adjustment instruction.

The processing content switch 66 is switch information indicating the detailed content of the instruction indicated by the instruction code of the processing instruction 65. The data length of the processing content switch 66 is variable.

The command end code 67 is a code indicating the end of the command portion of the frame, and is, for example, a bit string of all “0”. The data 63 is information corresponding to the processing instruction indicated by the processing instruction 65 and the processing content switch 66, and indicates schedule adjustment conditions and the like. For example, when the instruction is to determine the date and time of the meeting, information such as the group name and the estimated time required for the meeting will be described later.

FIGS. 6 to 8 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the schedule adjusting device according to one embodiment. 6 to 8, the operation of the mobile terminal 2 is shown on the left side of each figure, and the operation of the mobile terminal control device 1 is shown on the right side of each figure. A program for realizing each function shown in these flowcharts is in the form of a program code that can be executed by the CPU in the mobile terminal 2 and the mobile terminal control device 1, and is stored in a storage unit (ROM, RAM, HDD, etc.) in each of the above devices. Is stored in Alternatively, a portable storage medium (FDD, CD-ROM, MO,
DVD etc.).

Data transmission between the mobile terminal 2 and the mobile terminal control device 1 in FIGS. 6 to 8 is performed by a network (for example, a base station 5 of a PHS network, a public telephone network, a WAN / LAN 3 or the like). Is done through).

Further, in the following description, the mobile terminal 2
, A schedule management program and a schedule file, and a schedule free time search program are stored.

In FIGS. 6 to 8, the operation of the schedule adjustment device is realized by the operation of the mobile terminal control device 1 and the operation of the mobile terminal 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. Control device 1 and personal P
C4, or the mobile terminal control device 1, the mobile terminal 2, and the personal PC 4 may be used.

The operation of the schedule adjusting device will be described below with reference to FIG. In the following description, it is assumed that the content of the request is the schedule adjustment of the meeting.

In the figure, when a meeting schedule adjustment request, such as determining the date and time of a meeting, is transmitted from the requesting mobile terminal 2 as a schedule adjustment request, the mobile terminal control device 1 receives this request. (Step S1), the request is analyzed. Then, based on the analysis results,
First, a list of prospective conference participants (step S
2).

That is, the request is transmitted from the mobile terminal 2 in the form of, for example, a frame shown in FIG.
(Processing instruction 65) is analyzed to determine that the request is a meeting schedule adjustment request. Further, the contents of the data 63 are analyzed, and the conference attendees (individual names and employee numbers, or predetermined group names (department names, project names)), and meeting date and time conditions to be determined (such as during this week) And information (conditions) necessary for the conference schedule adjustment processing, such as the required time of the conference, the necessity of reservation of the conference room, and the like. Then, first, the processing of listing the prospective conference participants in step S2 is performed.

When the prospective meeting participants are specified by individual names, employee numbers, etc., the prospective meeting participants are searched by searching the employee list file using these personal names, employee numbers, etc. as keys. Is listed.

When the conference attendee is specified by a group name, a table registered in advance is searched,
By searching the employee list file from this search result,
List prospective meeting participants. For example, FIG.
Search the table shown in.

FIG. 9 (a) is a diagram showing an example of a table for searching for a conference attendee, and FIG. 9 (c) is a conference participation schedule created based on the search result of the table of FIG. 9 (a). It is a figure showing an example of a party list.

In FIG. 9A, a table 70
It has data items (fields) of “group name” 71 and “employee number” 72. As “group name” 71,
For example, there are "1st 2nd Section" and "○ △ Project".
The employee number of the employee belonging to each group is "Employee number" 7
2 fields. For example, "1st 2nd Section"
Records 73 include “123456”, “111999”, and “24680” as the employee numbers of
1 "etc. are registered.

For example, as a result of the analysis of the data 63, if "1st, 2nd section" is designated as the group name (section name), the table 70 is searched and "1st, 2nd section" is searched.
Read out the employee numbers of all employees belonging to the section.

Next, using the read employee number as a key,
The employee list file 80 of FIG. 9B is searched. The employee list file 80 is, for example, a file stored in a personnel data management device dedicated to a personnel department (not shown). The mobile terminal control device 1 obtains (a part of) the personnel data of each prospective participant by passing the employee number data to the personnel data management device and requesting a search. Then, based on the obtained data, for example, a conference attendee list 90 shown in FIG. 9C is created.

The conference attendee list 90 includes fields such as “employee number” 91, “name” 92, “post” 93, and “mobile terminal address” 94. Here, the mobile terminal address is a terminal identification code of the mobile terminal owned by each user, a telephone number in the PHS function, and the like. Although not specifically shown, the address of the personal PC 4 and the like are also added to the list.

Returning to FIG. 6, the processing after step S2 will be described. The mobile terminal control device 1 performs step S
After the above-mentioned conference participant list 90 is created by the process 2, the mobile terminal 2 of each conference participant is transmitted to the mobile terminal 2 based on the data of the “mobile terminal address” 94 (for example, PHS telephone number data). Send “Schedule free time data return request command” (step S
3). At this time, data such as the address and the identification code of the mobile terminal control device 1 are transmitted as the reply destination, and the conditions for performing the process of determining the schedule idle time in the mobile terminal 2 (the condition of the meeting date and time to be determined (this week) Secondary),
(Scheduled time required for the meeting, etc.).

Each of the mobile terminals 2 possessed by each of the conference attendees has a PHS function (or an externally connected PH).
The "schedule free time data return request command" is received via the (S machine) (step S4).

When each of the mobile terminals 2 receives the above command, it activates a schedule free time search program.
The search program searches the schedule file based on the above conditions, and performs a process of obtaining all applicable free time zones (step S5). Then, the obtained free time data is transmitted to the mobile terminal control device 1 (step S6). At this time, since the data including the data such as the terminal identification code 64 is transmitted according to the format shown in FIG. 5, the mobile terminal control device 1 can determine from which terminal the data is returned.

In the description of this flowchart, a description will be given assuming that the mobile terminal performs processing for obtaining idle time based on schedule data and transmits this idle time data. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The terminal sends schedule data that meets the conditions,
The mobile terminal control device 1 may perform a process of obtaining an idle time based on each schedule data received.

Next, each time the free time data is received by the mobile terminal control device 1 (step S7), the mobile terminal to which the reply has been sent is determined by the terminal identification code or the like.
It is determined whether or not all of the listed prospective participants have returned free time data (step S).
8). Then, the processes of steps S7 and S8 are repeated until all the members return data.

When it is determined that the schedule free time data has been returned from all of the mobile terminals possessed by each prospective conference participant (step S8, YES), the conference room is analyzed based on the request analyzed in step S2. When there is an instruction to make a reservation, the conference room availability data is obtained by, for example, requesting transmission of conference room availability data to a conference room reservation system (not shown) (step S).
9).

Then, from the received schedule vacant time data and the conference room vacancy status data, the common vacant time of all the prospective meeting participants at the date and time when the conference room is vacant is obtained (step S10). If there is no instruction to reserve a conference room, a common free time zone is obtained based on each schedule free time data.

Hereinafter, the processing will be described with reference to FIG. When the common vacant time zone (there may be a plurality of times) of all the prospective meeting participants is obtained in step S10, next, the common vacant time periods that satisfy the request condition analyzed in step S2 are determined. This is set as a candidate date and time (step S11). That is, for example, a time zone that satisfies the condition of the scheduled meeting time (for example, 3 hours) is determined from the common free time zones, and this is set as a candidate date and time (there may be a plurality of times).

In this embodiment, the common vacant time zone is determined in step S10 in consideration of the meeting room vacancy status. However, in step S10, the common vacant time zone is determined based on each schedule vacant time data. In step S11, the meeting room availability data may be used as one of the request conditions.

Next, it is determined whether or not the candidate date and time have been obtained by the processing of step S11 (step S12).
If there is no candidate date and time (step S12, NO), the schedule adjustment requester is identified from the terminal identification code at the time of the schedule adjustment request, and the requester's mobile terminal says, "There is no meeting date and time that satisfies the request conditions. If necessary, change the request conditions and re-perform the schedule adjustment request. "(Step S
24). At this time, the mobile terminal control device 1 may obtain a condition under which the candidate date and time can be obtained by making a change, and notify the requester of the condition. For example, the scheduled meeting required time is changed from the above-mentioned three hours to, for example, two hours, and the process of step S12 is performed. As a result, when the candidate date and time are obtained, the requester is notified, In addition, if you change the scheduled meeting time to 2 hours, there will be a meeting available date and time. "
The requester may be given an indication of a condition change.

Alternatively, depending on the situation, even if a request is made by a schedule adjustment requester on the condition that a conference room must be reserved,
Since this condition is not always required,
For example, if the candidate date and time cannot be obtained in consideration of the availability of the conference room, the requester may be inquired, and if the consent is obtained, the processing of step S11 may be performed again without the requirement for the conference room reservation. .

If it is determined that there is a candidate date and time (step S12, YES), subsequently, data of all the obtained candidate dates and times is transmitted to each mobile terminal of the prospective participant in the conference. A command (selection request command) for requesting selection when an inconvenient date and time is included in the candidate date and time and selection of the most convenient date (desired date and time) among the candidate date and time is transmitted (step S13). However, if there is only one candidate date and time, a command to select whether or not the candidate date and time is acceptable is transmitted.

Although the candidate date and time are obtained from the common vacant schedule time zone of all the members, the inconvenient date and time are considered because the mobile terminal owner forgets to input the schedule or schedule adjustment processing. This is because it takes into account that there is a person or the like who has a new schedule.

When each of the mobile terminals receives the data of the candidate date and time and the selection request command (step S14), first, the mobile terminal notifies the holder of any request that requires the operation of the holder by an alarm or the like (step S14). S1
5).

Next, an inconvenient date and time and a desired date and time selection input screen are displayed on the LCD display / input section 11 together with the received candidate date and time data, and the mobile terminal holder is made to make a selection input (step S16). The mobile terminal holder selects and inputs a desired date and time from among the displayed candidate dates and times by pen touch input or the like, and further selects and inputs an inconvenient date and time if there is any inconvenient date and time (step S17).

Each mobile terminal transmits data of the selected desired date and time (or inconvenient date and time) to the mobile terminal controller 1 (step S18). Each time the mobile terminal control device 1 receives the data of the desired date and time (or the inconvenient date and time) (step S20), the mobile terminal control device 1 determines whether or not data has been transmitted from all of the listed prospective meeting participants (step S2).
1) Until data is received from all members, step S20,
Step S21 is repeated.

Here, after transmitting the candidate date and time and the selection request to each mobile terminal in step S 13, the mobile terminal control device 1 sets the “post” in the conference attendee list 90.
Based on the data of 93, etc., the priority order of the conference participants is determined (step S19). For example, based on the data of “Position” 93 in the list of prospective participants 90, for example, the priority of “Manager” is the first and the priority of “Chief” is the second. Rank in order. Alternatively, the importance may be determined according to the content of the meeting, and the ranking may be set in descending order of importance.
The criterion for determining the priority order can be appropriately changed according to the situation.

If it is determined that data transmission has been performed from all of the prospective participants (step S21, YES),
First, based on the result of selection of the inconvenient date and time, a value obtained by removing the inconvenient date and time from the candidate date and time is set as the conference possible date and time (step S22). Then, it is determined whether there is a possible date and time for the meeting (step S23).

If there is no meeting possible date and time (step S
23, NO), and executes the process of step S24 described above. If there is a possible date and time for the meeting (step S23, Y
ES), the meeting date and time are determined based on the selection result of the desired date and time. At this time, if there are multiple possible dates and times,
The meeting date and time are determined by giving priority to the desired date and time of the person with the higher priority determined in step S19 (step S2).
5). For example, if the desired date and time of the person with the highest priority is among the possible conference dates and times, the desired date and time is set as the conference date and time.
If another person has selected the desired date and time of the person with the first priority as the inconvenient date and time, the above process is sequentially repeated until the meeting date and time is determined for the desired date and time of the person with the second or higher priority. .

If the request is for a conference room reservation, a conference room is reserved at the determined date and time of the conference (step S26). This requests, for example, a conference room reservation system (not shown) to reserve a conference room at the conference date and time. In response, the conference room reservation system returns the room number of the reserved conference room (when there are a plurality of conference rooms) and the like.

The mobile terminal control device 1 transmits the data based on the result of the analysis of the request contents in step S2 (scheduled time required for the meeting, scheduled Is transmitted to each mobile terminal of the prospective conference participant (step S27). Also, (if the requester is not a prospective participant, etc.)
The mobile terminal of the schedule adjustment requester is also notified of the determined items of the conference (step S28). Further, in the process of step S27, data (a terminal identification code and the like) relating to the requester is transmitted to each mobile terminal of the prospective conference participants. This is to make it possible to contact the requester in the event of inconvenience among the prospective conference participants after the determination of the conference date and time.

When each mobile terminal receives the data related to the conference such as the conference date and time and the conference room number (step S29), it informs the owner by an alarm or the like (step S30) and decides on the LCD display / input unit 11. The date and time of the meeting, the meeting place, and the like are displayed (step S31).

When the owner performs the operation of “confirmation”, for example, the content of the schedule management file is updated based on the data relating to the conference (step S32), and the process ends.

Although the processing according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the schedule adjusting device according to the present invention is not limited to the processing according to this embodiment. Although partly described in the description of the above-described flowcharts, various processes can be considered for the schedule adjustment work depending on the situation, and the processes illustrated in the flowcharts are only examples.

For example, instead of the processing of steps S5 and S6 in FIG. 6, the mobile terminal transmits personal schedule data, and the mobile terminal control device 1 determines each schedule free time based on each personal schedule data received. You may do it.

Further, in the above embodiment, the mobile terminal side executes the schedule file and the schedule management program, and various programs for determining the schedule free time zone and automatically updating the schedule file in response to a request from the mobile terminal control device 1 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the mobile terminal owner has a personal PC 4 having a schedule file, a schedule management program, and various programs for discriminating free time data and automatically updating the schedule file. The control device 1 may notify the personal PC 4 of a request for transmitting free time data or the like. Thereby, the mobile terminal can simply display and input a candidate date and time, and have the display / input function and the PHS
Since it is only necessary to have a communication function such as a function, the configuration is simplified, and the size and the price of the terminal device can be reduced.

Further, when the communication function is realized by connecting to an external PHS machine or the like, the size of the mobile terminal body can be further reduced. As a result, the structure of the mobile terminal body is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2, and various forms can be realized with simplification and miniaturization of the device configuration. For example, it may be a wristwatch-type mobile terminal. Also, in this case, the mobile terminal can
A simple data process of notifying the owner of the candidate date and time and receiving a selection input of the desired date and time from the owner may be used. Therefore, as a user interface function, the microphone 13 and the speaker 14 are used instead of the LCD display / input unit 11. May be used. In this case, a voice recognition function is required. However, even if the current voice recognition technology is not sufficiently practical for daily conversation in general, as described above, a specific speaker (a mobile terminal holder) obtains a desired date and time. Since only specific simple data such as is input by voice, sufficiently practical recognition can be performed.

In the above-described schedule adjustment device, the description has been made on the assumption that each person has a mobile terminal. In this way, each person possesses a mobile terminal,
No matter where the person involved in the schedule adjustment is, you can always access the mobile terminal via the PHS network etc.
A special effect that the schedule adjustment process can be performed in a short time without fail is obtained.

On the other hand, a schedule adjusting device may be realized by a configuration including the personal PC 4 and the mobile terminal control device 1 without using the mobile terminal. In this case, the processing of the mobile terminal may be performed by the personal PC 4 in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. In this case, it is not always the case that the target person is near the personal PC 4 when going out or the like, so it may take time for all the prospective participants to perform the selection process in step S17 in FIG. For this reason, a special effect as in the case of using a mobile terminal is not obtained, but the effect of being able to automatically perform the schedule adjustment work for a plurality of persons is the same as that of the above-described embodiment. is there.

The personal PC 4 is not limited to a personal computer dedicated to an individual, but may be a personal computer that is shared by a plurality of persons and stores its own schedule file.

Further, in determining the possible date and time of a meeting, location data in schedules before and after the time slot of the vacant schedule date and time may be considered.
That is, in the schedule management function of the mobile terminal 2 (or the personal PC 4), an input format for inputting location data of the schedule and a data storage format are newly provided in addition to the data of the date and time and the contents of the schedule. Then, in response to the schedule free time data transfer request from the mobile terminal control device 1, the mobile terminal 2 transfers the schedule free time data and the location data of the schedule before and after each schedule free time.

On the other hand, the mobile terminal control device 1 is provided with a function of determining the travel time between the schedule location before and after each schedule free time and the scheduled meeting location, and correcting each schedule free time based on this travel time. Using the corrected schedule free time, the common free schedule date and time in step S10 is determined. For example, in a case where the scheduled meeting place is scheduled as a meeting room at the Tokyo head office, for example, even if there is a schedule free time from midnight to 6:00 pm for a certain subject, In the case where there is a scheduled schedule at the Osaka Branch in Osaka, the travel time between Osaka and Tokyo is determined (for example, determined to be 4 hours), and the schedule free time for this subject is from 4:00 pm to 6 pm It is time.

Note that the determination of the travel time is based on map data,
The determination may be made each time based on timetable data of buses, trains, etc., but may be used for a case where a destination such as a customer or a branch office is decided to some extent, or between cities (Tokyo-Sapporo) For example, in the case of the interval between Sendai and Hakata), approximate travel time is registered in advance in a table, etc.
This may be used. Corresponding to this, the customer name, branch / branch name, city name, etc. are registered in advance on the mobile terminal side (or personal PC side).
At the time of inputting a schedule, a list of these data may be displayed and selected and input, so that the location of the schedule may be input.

[0097]

As described above in detail, according to the schedule adjusting apparatus of the present invention, in the schedule adjustment for a plurality of persons, the conditions and actual conditions given based on the individual schedule data of each schedule adjustment target person. Since the optimal candidate date and time is determined according to the situation, the time and effort of the persons involved in the schedule adjustment can be largely saved, and the optimal schedule can be set.

Further, when each person has a portable terminal having a communication function, the related persons (schedule adjustment target persons,
Regardless of when and where each person (schedule adjustment requester) is located (whether they are out or on a business trip), they can select and approve personal schedule data and candidate dates and times, so that they can always take a short time when necessary. Can be used to adjust the schedule.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of a system related to a schedule adjustment device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a mobile terminal.

FIG. 3 is a circuit configuration block diagram of a mobile terminal.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram of a mobile terminal control device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a part of a configuration of a frame transmitted from a mobile terminal.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart (part 1) for explaining the operation of the schedule adjusting device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart (part 2) for explaining the operation of the schedule adjusting device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart (part 3) for explaining the operation of the schedule adjusting device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a table for a prospective participant in a conference and a list of prospective participants in a conference.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 mobile terminal control device 2 mobile terminal 3 WAN / LAN 4 personal PC 5 wireless base station 6 network connection terminal 7 optical link unit 10 mobile terminal (appearance) 11 LCD display / input unit 12 wireless antenna 13 microphone 14 speaker 15 switch 16 Infrared light emitting / receiving unit 17 Wire communication interface 18 IC card slot 20 PHS machine 31 LCD 32 LCD driver 33 Memory 34 LCD control unit 35 Touch panel control unit 36 Microphone 37 A / D converter 38 Microphone control unit 39 Speaker 40 D / A converter 41 Speaker control unit 42 IC card interface 43 IC card 44 CPU 45 RAM 46 ROM 47 Communication control unit 48 Wired communication driver 49 Optical communication driver 50 Wireless transceiver 51 CPU 52 RAM 53 storage device 54 medium drive device 55 portable storage medium 56 network connection device 60 frame 61 LAN control data 62 command 63 data 64 terminal identification code 65 processing instruction 66 processing content switch 67 command end code

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. Receiving schedule data of each of a plurality of subjects to be adjusted, and determining a common vacant time zone having a vacant schedule common to the plurality of subjects based on each of the schedule data. Then, a time zone that satisfies the schedule adjustment condition among the determined common free time zones is set as a candidate date and time, and the candidate date and time are notified to each target person. 2. Each of a plurality of subjects to be adjusted in schedule receives personal schedule data of each subject stored in each mobile terminal from a mobile terminal carried by a portable terminal, and based on each personal schedule data, A common free time slot in which a schedule is vacant in common with the target person is determined, and a time slot satisfying the schedule adjustment condition in the determined common free time slots is set as a candidate date and time. A method for adjusting a schedule, comprising notifying a mobile terminal of a target person. 3. Each of the plurality of schedule adjustment targets obtains a connection destination address to each mobile terminal carried by the mobile phone, accesses each mobile terminal using the obtained connection destination address, and performs each mobile operation. Requesting the terminal to transfer the target data required for schedule adjustment from the individual schedule data of each target stored in each mobile terminal, and in response to this request, Based on each target data transferred from the mobile terminal, a common vacant time zone in which all the schedules have vacancies is determined, and a time zone that satisfies the schedule adjustment condition is selected from the determined common vacant time periods. A schedule adjusting method, wherein each mobile terminal is notified as a date and time. 4. When there are a plurality of candidate dates and times, the candidate terminal is notified of the candidate date and time, and a desired date and an inconvenient date and time are selected from the candidate dates and the selected result is returned. If there is an inconvenient date / time selected according to the selection result returned from each mobile terminal, the candidate date / time is determined by removing the inconvenient date / time from the candidate date / time. The schedule date and time is determined by giving priority to a desired date and time of a person with a higher priority among the subjects, and the determined schedule date and time is notified to each mobile terminal. Schedule adjustment method. 5. A system having a management control device connected to a network, and a plurality of information terminals for transmitting and receiving data via the management control device and the network, wherein each of the information terminals is connected via the network. Communication control means for transmitting and receiving data to and from the management control device; schedule storage means for storing personal schedule data; and target data necessary for schedule adjustment from the personal schedule data in response to a request from the management control device. And a schedule data management means for transmitting the target data to the management control device by the communication control means, wherein the management control device transmits and receives data to and from each of the information terminals via the network. The target data is transmitted to each information terminal via this communication means. Based on the target data received from each information terminal to determine a common free time zone, which is a common free time for all, and determine a time zone that meets the schedule adjustment conditions from the obtained common free time zones. And a schedule adjusting means for setting this as a candidate date and time. 6. A system having a management control device connected to a network, and a plurality of information terminals that transmit and receive data via the management control device and the network, each information terminal storing personal schedule data. Communication means for transmitting and receiving data, and requesting target data required for schedule adjustment to each information terminal via the communication means, and based on each target data received from each information terminal, a common idle time for all the users. And a schedule adjusting means for determining a time zone that meets the schedule adjustment condition from the obtained common free time zone and using the determined time zone as a candidate date and time. Management control device in the adjustment system. 7. A system having a management control device connected to a network, and a plurality of information terminals that transmit and receive data via the management control device and the network, wherein the management control device communicates with the management control device via the network. Communication control means for transmitting and receiving data; schedule storage means for storing personal schedule data; target data required for schedule adjustment from the personal schedule data in response to a request from the management control device; An information terminal in a schedule adjustment system, comprising: schedule data management means for transmitting to the management control device by the communication control means. 8. The information terminal is a mobile terminal carried by each individual, and the communication control unit performs data transmission and reception with the management control device by performing wireless communication with a base station of a mobile communication network. The schedule adjustment system according to claim 5, wherein 9. When there are a plurality of candidate dates and times obtained by the schedule data management means, the management control device further requests the selected date and time data and a plurality of candidate dates and times to select and return a desired date and time and an inconvenient date and time. 6. A schedule adjusting system according to claim 5, further comprising schedule date and time determining means for transmitting a schedule date and time to each information terminal and determining a schedule date and time based on the selection result and the priority order returned from each information terminal.