a multimedia intelligent message communication system for distributed coordination environments

Electronics and Communications in Japan, Part 1, Vol. 76, No. 1, 1993 Tranelated from Denshi Joho Tsushin Gakkai Ronbunshi. Vol. 74-B-I. No. 11. November 1991, pp. 899-908

A Multimedia Intelligent Message Communication System for Distributed Coordination Environments

Shinmi Hattori, Member, Keisuke Kuramoto and Mkom Nakazawa, Associate Members

Faculty of Engineering, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Kanazawa, Japan 921

SUMMARY

This paper proposes a new multimedia message communication system. This system is strongly integrated with deskwork operation by multiple polymorphism of object-oriented construction in a distributed computer resource OA environment consisting of networks, personal computers, and workstations.

Here, a message communication system and deskwork system are regarded as a means of processing mail with undccided/dccided boxes as sWend points. Further, automated generation of an individual action schedule and response mail has bem implemented by using a distributed coodination algorithm of 1 : N conversation element module with knowledgebase of individual action status, and its application to automated and personalized secretary work in OA environments has been studied.

Key words Intelligent message communication system; multimedia mail system; personalized scmtary system; non-realtime message communication; distributed office automation (OA) environment; computer-supported coordination.

1. Introduction

Along with the improvement in perfonname, minia-

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turization and economization of workstations and personal computers, and the proliferation of networks, distributed computer systems where computer resources are connected to networks are being introduced in recent OA environments.

As for the functions in OA environments, the deskwork itself is closely connected to communications. From the viewpoint of its efficiency, it is better not to separate the two but to consider their coordination.

This paper aims at constructing personalized m- tary systems where n o d t i m e message communication with undecided and decided boxes as start and end points and deskwork system closely related to actual work processing are integrated.

The technical issues for realizing this system are as follows.

0 how to integrate a series of processes of collection/distribution, edition, and filing of multimedia mail consisting of figures, texts, videos, and voices and desk- works such as schedule management triggered by the reception of multimedia nails; and

a h o w to efficiently coordinate the deskwork processing among multiple users in distributed computer environments based on multimedia mail processing and how to provide each user with a personalized sccrctary function simultaneously.

ISSN8756-6621/93/0001-0011 Cp 1993 Scripta Technic4 Inc.

Multi-

Fig. 1. Integration of message communication and deskwork.

To overcome these technical difficulties. we pro- pose a multimedia message communication system [ll which is automatically combined with deskwork system on the basis of the multiple polymorphism concept of object+riented construction, where semistructuring is applied to multimedia mail such as text, figure, video, and voice. Moreover, we integrate automatic constmction and response fuactions of multimedia mail and distributed coordination AJ technology. Then we implement an automatic schedule synthesis system of multiple users in distributed computer environments, employing the object- oriented language Smalltalk-80.

As a result, an efficient integration of a multimedia message communication system and a distributed coordination deskwork system is obtained and an effective deployment of a personalized secretary system can be achieved.

In the following, the system configuration and implementation results will be explained.

2. Integration of Multimedia Message Communication System with Deskwork

System

2.1. Mice work in distributed coordination environments

C o n v e n t i d office work, especially that supported by computers, aims at improving the efficiency of the

f \ L A N

I Worksta 4 Workstat ion

COmmUniCatiOnS

Message Editor

t A Mail 1

I System y f System

t Knowledge Base

File Folder

n

Fig. 2. Intelligent message communication system on multimedia.

individual distributed user, e.g., by document generation, schedule management, etc. By contrast, the necessity of distributed, coordinative deskwork support as an aid to groupwork is becoming more and more in demand.

Actually, non-realtime processing of mailbox systems has been evolved independently of deskwork systems; and, hence, they have not yet been integrated.

This paper proposes as a system of efficiently sup porting distributed coordination deskwork, a message communication system efficiently integrated with deskwork system by an object-oriented multiple polymorphism algorithm. Moreover, we generalize the conversation model by dialogue, which is a typical model of asynchm- nous distributed group work, and describe the configuration of a personal secretary work system for distributed coordination environments which integrates the conversation model with a message communication system.

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Mail I n

.1 Mail Awaiting Action

,

Mail Distribution System Fetch date, order, method

Automated file Dynamic electronic Automated schedule management system telephone directory system

system

Del ivered Mai 1 Processing A, Enve I ope (1) Sender’s name, affiliat., telephone number

(2) Recipient’s name and affiliation (3) Date and time sent

Incorporation into schedule ( p h x date, I time)

B . Contents (1) Title of document (meeting announcement, event announcement, report)

attendees, etc.) (2) Contents (time, place,

(3) Related document numbers (4) Comments

Updating of tele- Lookup of related phone directory documents (loca-

tion, number)

111 I I

1 To Response Processing

Fig. 3. Processing of received mail.

2.2. Primary processing and secondary pro- of figure, text, video and voice, and a deskwork system for office secretary work. The deskwork of message communication type in this deskwork system can be

Figure 1 shows the basic configuration of the pro- regarded as a multimedia mail process of fetching multi- posed system. There are multiple workstations on an media mail from the undecided box and sending it to the LAN, and at each workstation there are a message com- decided box through classification of decidedundecided munication system handling multimedia mail consisting mail, filing, retrieval, discarding and editing, and

cessing

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From Received Mail Processing

Creation of Rcsponse A. Envelope (1) Respondent's name, affiliat.. telephone

number (2) Addreme's name and affiliation (3) Date and time of reply ..................................................................

B. Contents (1) Title of reply (meeting, other event, report)

(2) Contents of reply - Acknowledgement of notification - Request for change

- Other document reference number - Regrets

(time of place)

(3) Comments

1 Mail Distribution System - Method of transmittal (notice, private

communication) '

- Time Of transmittal - Transmittal priority

-1

.1 Anewcnd Mail

Mail O u t

Fig. 4. Mail response proctssing.

umstruction of new and response mail. This is called primary processing.

In primpry p m i n g , the message communication system and the deskwork system can be integrated via maage processing by semistructuring the multimedia mail co~unic8ti~formatandunifyingtherrccess and edition m6thods, theteby promoting the deskwork automation.

As shown in Fig. 2, by integrating the primary processing with such office work as mail collectid distribution, schedule management, directory manage-

-

meat, file storage and retrieval, employee's data manage- meat through multimedia message editing and processing system, the systems such as Mail Distribution System, Schedule Management System, and Employee's Data Card System, can be constructed. This is called secondary p-ing.

2.3. Semistructuring of mail [Z]

Figures 3 and 4 show ptocessing of received mail and outgoing mail. A received mail in an undecided box is taken out by the "automatic mail collection/distribution

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system” with a fixed scheduling algorithm with respect to takeout date, order, and method.

The mail envelope contains: (1) the sender’s name, affiliation, and telephone number, (2) the recipient’s name and affiliation; and (3) the date and time of origina- tion. The mail contents are described as: (1) communication title, such as meeting name and report name; (2) communication contents; (3) related document number, and (4) comments.

These received mail data are sent to the automatic schedule management system and the employee’s data card system. On the basis of these data, the automatic schedule management system records the meeting site and date/time in the schedule table and automatically synthe- sizes action schedules.

The employee’s data card system automatically retrieves the employee’s database and performs automatic editing such as data change, update, addition, and so on.

The dynamic electronic telephone directory system automatically changes the contents of the telephone directory to the moved location and its telephone number and further performs transfer service of the telephone.

As for mail which requires responses, such mail is constructed automatically and posted by the automatic mail collection/distribution system into the decided box according to posting schedule algorithm.

By closely integrating deskwork and mail processing, deskwork automation can be achieved. In the next section the basic elements of secondary processing, which is the target of implementation, will be described.

2.4. Basic elements of secondary processing

(1) Automatic mail collection/distribution system

This system controls the collection and distribution of received and outgoing mail. As for received mail, how to remove it from the undecided box (priority sorting control based on the information about arrival time and data, post, customer priority, due date, etc.) and timing of taking-out (time of taking-out, scanning interval, etc.) are set.

As for outgoing mail or newly composed mail, the method of posting into the decided box (broadcast, secretary service, etc.) and post-in scheduling are set. These

settings basically follow user instructions, but if there are no instructions, they are decided automatically using the knowledge about the sender and receiver [say, for example, a priority should be placed on posting of response mail or new mail which is close to a due date]. It also has a mail-tracking function. The situation of distributed mail on workstations of other users can be tracked. It also has a function of automatically generating outgoing mail according to the semistructured format.

(2) Automatic schedule management system

On the basis of the information about place and dateltime informed by received mail, it performs scheduling of action planning. If conflicts arise in scheduling, basically the following two countermeasures are taken.

Let a deskworker determine the scheduling of action plan [priority ordering, presencelabsence decision, requirement modification, etc.]. In this case, an environment and a human interface which allow the deskworker’s immediate decision are necessary.

Mechanize the employer’s scheduling of action plan which is done by a secretary. It is automated by putting the deskworker’s post, behavior characteristic, priority criterion, etc., into knowledgebase and applying AI technology.

A task tracking function should be added in the schedule automatic synthesis process, monitoring the processing situation of the jobs related to the schedule of each workstation.

(3) Employee’s data card system

This is a card-type system including multimedia- base editing function maintaining multimedia employee data (name, affiliation, post, address map, face picture, and self PR). This system performs the retrieval of employee data, construction of new employees’ data, and modification of employee data. It is linked with the message communication system. Moreover, it retrieves neceSSary employee data according to the employees’ information requirement informed by received mail, sends the result to the response mail object, and synthe- sizes the responded mail. It also performs automatic modification of data in the card system by the employee data modification information and modification data.

The characteristic of this system is that it has theadvanced complex object structure with respect to text, map, photo, and voice, which is different from the

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conventional employee data consisting only of text. This system also has the editing function of constructing and modifying the employee data without beiig conscious of media difference; and, further, the editing operation can be controlled by messages from received mail.

Other than the systems (1). (2). and (3), the dynamic electronic telephone directory which automatically allocates individual telephone numbers with the use of action plan (2) and the automatic file retrieval system are now under study implementation.

3. Multimedia Message Editing System

3.1. Multiple polymorphisn with deskwork system

The concept of multiple polymorphism is effective [3, 41 for efficiently integrating the system consisting of the primary p'ocessing dealing with the multimedia mail itself and the secondary processing dealing with the deskwork generated from the multimedia mail.

The multiple polymorphism of multimedia mail has a message relay format as shown in Fig. 5. The composite object multimedia mail can be regarded as a complex consisting of text, figure, video and voice objects connected through part-of hierarchy. and the mediadejm- dent manipulation method is included in each mpil object itself. We consider a mechanism by which a message with the same name is transmitted to each mail object and a peculiar edition is carried at each mail object at the receiver. This mechanism enables the construction and editing of multiMediaMai1 under uniform interface without being conscious of media differences.

The message flow in Fig. 5 is as follows.

@ Transmit a message edit with deskwork such as employee's data card system EmpCard as an argument to the composite object rnultiMediaMai1.

@ Then the message is relayed to each mail object in multiMediaMai1. There the desktop (EmpCard), which was received as a reference, is sent the message receiver and each mail object (text, figure, portrait, voice) is transformed into an argument. As a result, passing (editText, editFigure, editportrait, editvoice) to deskwork (EmpCard) takes place.

@ Finally, the deskwork object (EmpCard), which received messages as well as arguments (mail object), perform8 editing by driving a dependent method.

Fig. 5. Multiple polymorphism of multimedia unit.

That is, if the message argument contains (other than the receiver side object) more than one type cor- responding to the deskwork at the secondary processing, the description of the manipulation of each mail object, being classified by each deskwork, is problematic from the viewpoint of system expansion capability.

The method of relaying message is described at each mailobject and at the same time the method of mail editor edition is described at each deskwork object. That is, messages are relayed $0 that the two variables, i.e., mailobject and deskwork, are transformed to the message receiver side. With this scheme the effect of addig a new deskwork class on the method can be localized, thereby improving flexibility and expandability.

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3.2. Automatic construction of response mail

Although in principle response mail is made by users themselves, this system has an automatic response mail construction function which sends the response mail to the automatically made mailbox on the basis of the processing result of the deskwork system.

(1) Response mail, affiliation, and telephone n u - ber; (2) called party name and affiliation; and (3) response date and time at the typified envelope part of the response mail and (1) information of response item name at content part are automatically set on the basis of related information of a mail [caller name, called party name, communication item name, etc.]. Although (2) response content [communication content acknowledgement/ nonacknowledgement, content modification request, related material requirement, absence inform] and (3) comments at the content part basically are determined based on the deskworker's judgment, typical response mails are automatically constructed based on the processing result of the automatic schedule management system.

That is, when a new schedule request is sent to the automatic schedule management system via mail, the automatic schedule management system generates a certain response (accept, refuse, alternative) as a message to the schedule request, and thereby a response mail object is automatically constructed and is sent to the mailbox.

4. Automatic Schedule Construction by Distributed Coordination

The automatic schedule management system, which is an element of deskwork, is explained in this section. Since more than one workstation makes a schedule in a distributed computer environment, the distributed coordination algorithm is adopted to decide the schedules through coordination of workstations [5, 61.

4.1. Representation of databaselknowledgebase

Data have a structure where a slot value (attribute value) is assigned to a slot name (attribute), and data are generated by following instructions:

aBDB - Bdb new. Generation of data (instance)

aBDB slot: "subject" value: "Hattori,"

Insert value "Hattori" into slot "subject. " slot: "predicate" value: "is,"

Insert value "is" into slot "predicate. " slot: "object" value: "Important. "

Insert value "Important" into slot "object. "

Other than these expressions, the following dynamic expression with demon description can be used:

aBDB need: "subject." if need aBDB added: "adv" value: "very"

aBDB removed: "object. " if-removed

if-added

Then these basic unit data are treated as a data set as shown next and as a database of frame unit:

aFDB - Fdb new.

aFDB add-data: aBDB. data registration

aFDB removed: aBDB. data removal

aFDB find: aBDB. data retrieval

The basic unit in charge of knowledgebase production rule consists of condition part and action part. Both parts consist of database of frame unit:

aBKE3 c BKB if aFDB then: aFDB knowledge construction

Then this knowledge of the basic unit is treated as a knowledge set as shown next and is treated as a knowledgebase of frame unit:

aFKB - Fkb new.

aFKB add-data: aBKB. knowledge registration

aFKB removed: aBKB. knowledge removal

aFKB if: aBDBl inference start

knowledgebase genuation

if: aBDB2.

So that the database and knowledgebase correspond to various inference systems, they are generalized under unified external interface specification by using the re- definition function of the method and the polymorphism and the total inference is carried out by combining them 171.

4.2. Construction of database/knowledgebase and prioritizing algorithm

The databasehowledgebase used in this automatic schedule management system is in charge of prioritizing

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I nd iv idua 1 Database Coamxl Database

hypothesis a1 ler’ s schedule

w

* Position - Person Conference

Metadata Frame - Off ice Rule * Personal Management . Time-Place Relation

Knowledge Base

Kvpothesis of Action Dicision of Action

Fig. 6. The configurahon of database and knowledgebase.

schedules in case of collisions in the automatic schedule construction. Following are pieces of priority information.

Position and importance of schedule proposing Person

Position and importance of schedule proposed person

Importanceofmeeting

Importance of members in the schedule

Priority with respect to transit time from location to location

Time urgency of a schedule

Elapsed time from the decision of existing schedule

These pieces of information are stored in the as a knowledgebase. The data quantizing these pieces of priority information also are s t o d in the knowledgebase. Figure 6 shows the coafipahon of database and knowledgebase for each workstation unit.

The database is classified into individual database and common database.

Individual -It expresses the behavior characteristic based on the knowledge and position of

revs t a t e c d g l e r ’ s appointment

Check Acceptance (revstate conflict: sendSc)

revdSc

Check priority (revdSc priority)

revimp I E;zr’ s priority

Production Rule1 (prdcl if:sendiw if: revimp)

Decide Final Action

Fig. 7. The algorithm for priority decision.

each user. It is peculiar to each user, and its contents are different from one workstation to another.

Common database+It is common to all users. It contains metadata-like information and is located at each workstation.

K n o w l e d g b I t contains the user knowledge which cannot be expressed by forementioned databases and the data quantizing priority information. Exactly as in the individual database, the contents differ from one user to another.

Figure 7 shows the prioritizing algorithm, where the called side receiving a mail, in responding to a new schedule request in the mail, refers to its own schedule status and examines whether or not the schedules collide (revstate conflict: sendsc.). In case of a collision the

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A:Decline

Q f""\ B:Report

A:Declin B :Cance 1

Fig. 8. Conversation transition diagram with a language/action model (adapted from T.

Winograd [9]).

priority of each schedule is extracted (send% priority revdSc priority) and priority is decided according to the production rule @rdcl if: sendimp if: revimp. prdc2 if: hypothesis if: day).

Then an intermediate hypothesis is generated based on the importance of information from the caller side and sender side; and, therefore, the final action is decided from the time urgency information (day) of the caller side q u e s t schedule. As a result (SenderAction receiver- Action), one of adoption, discard or alternative is regis- tered for each schedule at caller and called sides.

4.3. Object-oriented conversion tmsitiondia- g-

Figure 8 shows the conversation transition diagram by Winograd [8, 91, by which after the called party decides the schedule (adoption, discard, alternative), the result is returned to the sender as a response mail, and the next action is decided coordinately. This conversation transition diagram is based on a language/action model, since we are communicating with each other with language and our actions are coordinated with each other.

Although this method coordinately decides actions on the basis of the conversation between two users, actually schedules are usually coordinated among three or more persons. Moreover, generation, modification and

Sender Receivers

A B C D E 17c#: * * - x%c# m

request

0.4 < P S 0 . 6 i

0.6<P10.8 j

promise j

0 . 8 < P

om letion i + persuade

3,

* ........ * Inportance level

Fig. 9. An example of schedule decision sequence.

update of a schedule may cause modification or update of other schedules, thus affecting not directly related members. To cope with this problem, the proposed system extends the concept of Winograd as follows.

A node of a conversation transition diagram corresponds to a user action and an arc corresponds to an inform mail. Also, the object is configured such that the node part is a state object and the arc part is a message between state objects.

4.4. Distributed coordination algorithm with (1 : N ) conversation element

We extend the conversation transition diagram by Winograd to (1 : N) conversation element where there is

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one schedule proposer and multiple proposed persons. Multiple response results p r o p o d to the proposx are coordinated under the following criterion P in consideration of the position and personal importance of the Proposed persons.

Criterion: P = RIA

R = total points of position and personal importance of the proposed person with appointment.

A = total points of position and personal importance of all proposed persons.

The following actions are taken:

P 5 0.4: The schedule is cancelled.

0.4 < P 5 0.6: The schedule is proposed again.

0.6 < P .I 0.8: Nonparticipants are permaded.

P > 0.8: The schedule is decided and confirmed.

The relation between criterion P and action is subjective at this moment, which must be studied quanti- tatively in each office environment.

Schedule cancel (cancel): The proposer cancels the schedule to all the proposed persons.

Reproposal of schedule (counter): The alternative by the proposed person with the greatest importance for the proposer is chosen as a new alternative proposal.

Persuasion (persuade): The person with the greatest importance of the propser and the proposed person withappointment is required topersuade proposed persons with refusals or alternatives.

Schedule determination and confirmation (De- clare completion): The proposer confirms and declares to all the proposed persons that the schedule is finally decided.

Figure 9 shows an example of the schedule decision sequence with this criterion, where a schedule is decided among five persons. The number of stars indi- cates the importance to the proposer. In this case, the schedule is not well coordinated at the beginning between the proposer and the p ropod persons. However, by compromising with the important person C, the schedule

Fig. 10. An example mailbox screen.

is proposed again and coordinated among them and is finally completed.

In this case the proposer asks the proposed person C to persuade the proposed person D. Thus, the mechanism of coordinating multiple participants and deciding the schedule is achieved by decomposing it into (1 : N) conversation elements. This enables the automatic schedule synthesis including cases where nonrelated persons are involved.

5. Implementation Example

The proposed intelligent multimedia message communication system in distributed coordination environments is implemented by using the object-oriented language Smalltalk 80 on UNIX workstation PFU c-Station 230.

Table 1 is the objective specification and the trial specification mainly from the functional viewpoint. Next, we will explain the viewpoint of the trial implementation.

Figure 10 shows an example of the mailbox screen, where envelopes are arranged in the order of reception. By specifying a certain mail and reading the mail, the window describing the mail contents is displayed.

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Table 1. Specification of intelligent multimedia message communication system

Number of connected workstations

Media

Secretary works mail collection distribution

schedule management

employee's data file

telephone directory

file holder

0: included in trial implementation X: not included in trial implementation

~~

Objective specification

100 Mbps LAN

100

text, figure, portrait, voice

Automatic mail distribution system prioritysorting distribution schedule mail tracking automatic response mail synthesis

Automatic scheduling system automatic schedule synthesis tasktracking

Employee's data card system built-in editing function edition triggered by received mail automatic retrieval and response mail construction

Dynamic electronic directory system

Automatic file retrieval system

In the case of Fig. 10, the conference data, time, place, and related telephone number are informed. When a deskworker selects a menu in the menu window, the received mail is sent to the automatic schedule management system and the employee's data card system, and related registration and updating process are carried out. Automatic registration and updating triggered by the mail reception also are possible.

By contrast, if the transmission mode of the mailbox is specified, the mail to be responded to is displayed together with its content, destination, and distribution time, and a deskworker specifies the work of mail

Trial specification

10 Mbps LAN

3

test, figure, portrait

0

X

X 0

0

X

content via the menu window. Automatic construction of typical response mail is possible by using the content of a received mail and the result of the secondary processing. Also, the destination and distribution time can be set automatically.

Figure 11 shows an example of the schedule management screen, where schedule memo and weekly schedule are opened. In the schedule memo, calendar part, schedule list, and schedule content are shown. The schedule content is made from a self-input schedule and the content of received mail in the mailbox.

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Fig. 11. An example of a schedule management screen.

For a transmitted mail, this automatic schedule management system mums to the transmitter the messages originated in the process of automatic schedule synthesis as a response mail. In this case, a schedule about the seminar from 1O:O AM to 1 1:25 AM on April 1st is displayed and the place and telephone number are informed. Comments and a map also are displayed.

Figure 12 shows an example of employee’s data card screen, where employee’s listview and employee’s dataview are opened. In the employee’s listview, affiliation list and part of employee’s text data (name column number, name, ID) are displayed. The employee’s list contains the data made by the editor of the employee’s data card and the data sent to the card system from received mail in the mailbox.

If an employee in an affiliation is specified in the employee list and the affiliation list, the content of the employee’s data is displayed in the employee’s data view. With the use of a button on this view, the data can be corrected, deleted, or retrieved. Auto~natic edition, such as employee’s data correction and deletion triggered by an update request information of a received mail in the mailbox, also is possible.

Thus, the employee’s data card system is not a static employee’s database but a dynamic card system with a built-in editing function.

6. Conclusions

This paper proposes a new multimedia message communication system which is strongly integrated with

Fig. 12. An example of employee’s data card screen.

deskwork operation by multiple polymorphism of object- oriented construction in distributed computer fesource OA environments. Also, automatic generation of individual action schedule and response mail has been implemented by using a distributed coordination algorithm of 1 : N conversion element model with knowledgebase of individual action status. As a result, it is shown that most secretary work can be automated and the personalized secretary work system can be realized.

Enhancement of knowledgebase in schedule decision, more effective algorithm of distributed coordination problem resolution method, and advanced abstraction of multimedia are the problems for further studies.

1.

2.

3.

4.

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REFERENCES

S. Hattori and A. Hakata. A consideration of intelligent message communication system on multimedia basis. Papers of Technical Group on Information Networks, I.E.I.C.E., Japan, INS9-97 (Feb. 1992). T. W. Malone. Semistructured messages are surprisingly useful for computer-supported coordination. Computer-Supported Cooperative Work: A Book of Readings, pp. 623-653. Kaufmann Pub- lishers (1988). H. Sakai and K. Horiuchi. Introduction to Object Orientation. Ohm h b l . (1989). D. H. H. Ingalls. A simple technique for handling multiple polymorphism. Proc. OOPSLA (1986).

5. Y. Ishii. Design of groupware-structured approach and nonstructured approach, bit, 23, 3, pp. 273- 283 (1991).

6. K. Kubota. Proposal of distributed multiuser schedule management system. Information Process- ing Society of Japan. Technical Paper on Multime- dia Communication and Distributed Processing, 47- 9 (Dec. 1990). S. Fujimura, S. Tomita, N. Iima, and A. Suzuki. AUK: Shell for building intelligent system based

7.

on object-urientcd knowledge representation auk. Trans. Information Processing Society of Japan, 31, 1 (Jan. 19%).

8. T. Winograd. where the Action Is. BYTE, pp. 256-260 (1988).

9. T. Winograd. A LanguageIAction Perspective on the Design of Cooperative Work, Com-

Readings, pp. 311-331. Kaufinann Publishers (1988).

p~ter-SupPorted Cooperative W o k A Book of

AUTHORS (from left to right)

Shimmi Hattori obtained a B.S. from Tohoku University in 1964 and a Ph.D. from Tohoku University in 1983. He was with Fujitsu, Ltd., from 1964 to 1985 and Fujitsu Laboratories, Ltd., from 1985 to 1989. He has been with Kanaawa Institute of Technology sin= 1989. He is currently a Professor at Kanamwa Institute of Technology. Recently, he has been interested in the application of AI technology to communication networks, the object-oriented communication systems, and so on.

Keisuke Kuramoto obtained a B.S. in 1991 from Kanazawa Institute of Technology, where he is currently in the Master’s program. He is engaged in research on object-oriented multimedia systems.

Minoru Nalrazawa obtained a B.S. in 1991 from Kannlawa Institute of Technology, where he is currently in the Master’s program. He is engaged in research on distributed coordination expert systems.

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a multimedia intelligent message communication system for distributed coordination environments

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