Display control method and apparatus for an electronic conference

摘要

In a conferencing system comprising telephones and workstations, a conference display control method for a visual user interface is provided. A conference window is displayed on a workstation display during a teleconference and includes a meeting table area as a shared space and a local area which cannot be seen by the other participants. Document objects corresponding to a document application program which is used in the conference are arranged on those areas. The distribution of the documents, reference of information, and execution of the application program can be executed by direct manipulation of objects using a mouse. In the conference window, the document object can be operated at both the cooperative work place and the local work place. Further, the conference window is displayed on the workstation display during the teleconference execution, the conference documents are sharingly executed by an OHP (overhead projector) object on the conference window, and the documents during the shared execution are displayed in an OHP area, so that the kind of document which is being executed can be grasped. Moreover, when a participant participates in a plurality of teleconferences on a communication network by one teleconference terminal, one teleconference can be recognized as a specific conference space, so that the user can selectively use a plurality of teleconferences without confusing them.