Charge management system, charge management method, program, program providing system, and maintenance system

A method for a system that includes a memory configured to store user identifiers identifying a plurality of users and terminal identifiers identifying a plurality of transmission terminals, each user identifier being associated with a plurality of the terminal identifiers identifying a corresponding plurality of transmission terminals of a user of the plurality of users, the charge management method comprising:

• calculating, by a processing circuit, a participation charge to each of the transmission terminals based on a total participation duration in which each of the transmission terminals has participated in a session during a predetermined period;
• and
• calculating a total participation charge to each of the users by summing up, for each user, the participation charges to the plurality of transmission terminals of the user during the predetermined time period and specified by the plurality of terminal identifiers associated with the user identifier of the user, by referring to the memory,
• wherein the calculating step comprises calculating the total participation duration by summing up participation durations, each indicated by a piece of participation duration information, the piece of participation duration information indicating a participation duration in which the each of the transmission terminals has participated in the session,
• the participation charge is different than, and billed separately from, a communication charge, which is a packet communication charge charged by a telecommunications company,
• each transmission terminal can repeatedly participate in and leave the session at different times before the session terminates,
• each transmission terminal participating in the session can leave the session before the session terminates and the memory stores a leave status for each terminal participating in the session, the leave status indicating a manner in which each terminal that participated in the session left the session,
• the memory stores a participation date and time, and a leave date and time for each transmission terminal participating in the session,
• the total participation duration includes a sum of participation durations during which each transmission terminal has participated in a same conference when each transmission terminal repeatedly participates in and leave the same conference at different times,
• the calculating step comprises calculating the participation durations based on the participation date and times and the leave date and times of the transmission terminals participating in the session, and
• the method further includes displaying on a display, in response to a request by a terminal, information from the memory, the information including a participation duration and the leave status for each session participated in by the terminal in a given time period.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium with an executable program stored thereon and executed by a computer of a system that includes a memory configured to store user identifiers identifying a plurality of users and terminal identifiers identifying a plurality of transmission terminals, each user identifier being associated with a plurality of the terminal identifiers identifying a corresponding plurality of transmission terminals of a user of the plurality of users, wherein the program instructs the computer to perform a method comprising:

• calculating a participation charge to each of the transmission terminals based on a total participation duration in which each of the transmission terminals has participated in a session during a predetermined period;
• and
• calculating a total participation charge to each of the users by summing up, for each user, the participation charges to the plurality of transmission terminals of the user during the predetermined period and specified by the plurality of terminal identifiers associated with the user identifier of the user, by referring to the memory,
• wherein the calculating step comprises calculating the total participation duration by summing up participation durations, each indicated by a piece of participation duration information, the piece of participation duration information indicating a participation duration in which the each of the transmission terminals has participated in the session,
• the participation charge is different than, and billed separately from, a communication charge, which is a packet communication charge charged by a telecommunications company,
• each transmission terminal can repeatedly participate in and leave the session at different times before the session terminates,
• each transmission terminal participating in the session can leave the session before the session terminates and the memory stores a leave status for each terminal participating in the session, the leave status indicating a manner in which each terminal that participated in the session left the session,
• the memory stores a participation date and time, and a leave date and time for each transmission terminal participating in the session,
• the total participation duration includes a sum of participation durations during which each transmission terminal has participated in a same conference when each transmission terminal repeatedly participates in and leave the same conference at different times,
• the calculating step comprises calculating the participation durations based on the participation date and times and the leave date and times of the transmission terminals participating in the session, and
• the method further includes displaying on a display, in response to a request by a terminal, information from the memory, the information including a participation duration and the leave status for each session participated in by the terminal in a given time period.