Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method

An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus including a memory and a processor to manage a plurality of users who operate a plurality of communication terminals, respectively, to participate in a meeting held in a virtual place, the information processing method comprising:

• managing a participating user who participates in the meeting, based on a notice from a communication terminal operated by the participating user, the notice using a unique identifier for the virtual place, and the unique identifier being unique among identifiers each of which is assigned to each virtual place,
• managing the meeting in a meeting association database where an identifier that is unique to the information processing apparatus and a meeting ID are associated with each other,
• generating data for displaying a web page in a web browser of the communication terminal operated by the participating user, and
• transmitting the generated data to the communication terminal operated by the participating user,
• wherein the managing determines whether all participating users have exited the meeting based on notices from the plurality of communication terminals, to end the meeting, said each of the notices indicating that the participating user has exited the meeting and including user ID for the participating user,
• wherein the managing includes providing a flag indicating that the participating user has exited the meeting to the participating user to whom the user ID corresponds,
• wherein the managing includes determining whether each one of the all participating users is provided with the flag and ending the meeting upon determining that each one of the all participating users is provided with the flag,
• wherein the managing includes deleting the meeting ID, from the meeting association database, that is associated with the identifier corresponding to the meeting upon determining that each one of the all participating users is provided with the flag,
• wherein the method further comprises automatically end the meeting upon determining that each one of the all participating users is provided with the flag, and
• wherein the managing includes stopping a screen sharing function to share a display by the plurality of communication terminals, or hiding or changing a color of a button to start the screen sharing function upon detecting that an exiting user who are provided with the flag is a presenter or an organizer while at least one of the participants of the meeting remains in the meeting.

An information processing system comprising:

• a plurality of communication terminals;
• and
• an information processing apparatus to manage a plurality of users who operate the plurality of communication terminals, respectively, to participate in a meeting held in a virtual place,
• wherein the information processing apparatus includes
• a memory;
• and
• a processor configured to execute
• managing a participating user who participates in the meeting, based on a notice from a communication terminal operated by the participating user, the notice using a unique identifier for the virtual place, and the unique identifier being unique among identifiers each of which is assigned to each virtual place,
• managing the meeting in a meeting association database where an identifier that is unique to the information processing apparatus and a meeting ID are associated with each other,
• generating data for displaying a web page in a web browser of the communication terminal operated by the participating user, and
• transmitting the generated data to the communication terminal operated by the participating user,
• wherein each of the plurality of communication terminals includes a display control device configured to display the web page, based on the data received from the information processing apparatus, and
• wherein the managing determines whether all participating users have exited the meeting based on notices from the plurality of communication terminals, to end the meeting, said each of the notices indicating that the participating user has exited the meeting and including user ID for the participating user,
• wherein the managing includes providing a flag indicating that the participating user has exited the meeting to the participating user to whom the user ID corresponds,
• wherein the managing includes determining whether each one of the all participating users is provided with the flag and ending the meeting upon determining that each one of the all participating users is provided with the flag,
• wherein the managing includes deleting the meeting ID, from the meeting association database, that is associated with the identifier corresponding to the meeting upon determining that each one of the all participating users is provided with the flag,
• wherein the processor is further configured to automatically end the meeting upon determining that each one of the all participating users is provided with the flag, and
• wherein the managing includes stopping a screen sharing function to share a display by the plurality of communication terminals, or hiding or changing a color of a button to start the screen sharing function upon detecting that an exiting user who are provided with the flag is a presenter or an organizer while at least one of the participants of the meeting remains in the meeting.