Systems and methods for improved application sharing in a multimedia collaboration session

• US 10,152,190 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Jones, Dan, Vernon, Todd, Chalfant, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Fibbi, Christopher J
• Application Number:
  US10/738,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20050132299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 5,475 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1403, 348 1407, 715748, 715759, 715779, 715751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A share display in a multimedia collaboration system includes a desktop region and a non-overlapping task bar region. A collaboration program is configured to allow the desktop region to be shared with remote multimedia collaboration devices for the purposes of collaboration, but allows control functionality so that whatever the sharer does not wish to share will reside in the task bar region. The task bar region is then prevented from being shared with the remote multimedia collaboration device.

Claims

1. A local user interface on a display device for application sharing in a multimedia collaboration system, wherein the local user interface, comprises:

a local user display region associated with a local user interface;

a taskbar region within the local user display region;

a desktop region comprising the local user display region and the taskbar region;

a remote user display region comprising at least one window displayed on the user interface that is shared with at least one remote user interface display;

one or more control areas, displayed within the taskbar region, used to control the local user display region; and

wherein, responsive to a share operation, the taskbar region is resized by increasing a size of the taskbar region to efficiently use the taskbar region and the local user display region on tasks related to session control and document previews of unshared contents that are displayed on the local user display region, but that are not shared by the local user interface and that are not visible or accessible to the remote user display region,

wherein the share operation causes a session control window in the local user display region to be automatically moved to the taskbar region,

wherein resizing the taskbar region automatically resizes the desktop region to efficiently use a visible area of the desktop region within the local user display region without creating any overlap between any portion of the taskbar region and the desktop region by ensuring the desktop region and the taskbar region together entirely fill the local user display region;

wherein the remote user display region displays contents of a remaining portion of the local user display region, comprising shared contents, without the unshared contents comprising the session control window, that is not shared by the local user interface, and wherein the contents of the remaining portion of the local user display region are displayed on the local user interface at a first size and are displayed on the remote user interface display at a second size larger than the first size, and wherein as the taskbar region is resized on the local user interface and the first size changes, the second size on the remote user interface display does not change.

2. The local user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region can be resized within the local user display region.

3. The local user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region can be closed.

4. The local user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region can be minimized.

5. The local user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region can be relocated within the local user display region.

6. The local user interface of claim 1, wherein the desktop region can be resized within the local user display region.

7. The local user interface of claim 1, wherein each control area in the task region includes a menu of control options.

8. The local user interface of claim 1, wherein a configuration associated with the taskbar region can be changed, and wherein a configuration associated with the desktop region is automatically changed in response to a change in the configuration of the taskbar region.

9. The local user interface of claim 8, wherein the change in the configuration associated with the taskbar region includes a change of the position or a change of the size of the taskbar region.

10. The local user interface of claim 8, wherein the change in the configuration associated with the local user display region includes a change of the position or a change of the size of the local user display region.

11. The local user interface of claim 1, wherein each application window can be resized within the desktop region.

12. The local user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region includes multiple control applications controllable by a local user operating the local user display region via a menu of control options within the control areas.

13. The local user interface of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of taskbar regions.

14. A multimedia collaboration system for application sharing between a local multimedia device and a remote multimedia device, wherein the system comprises:

a local multimedia device including a sharer interface, wherein the sharer interface comprises;

a sharer taskbar region;

a sharer desktop region, wherein the sharer taskbar region represents an area of which is outside the sharer desktop region;

a sharer display region;

the sharer desktop region within the sharer display region;

a sharer control area, displayed within the sharer taskbar region, used to control the display region;

wherein, responsive to a share operation, the sharer taskbar region is resized by increasing a size of the taskbar region to efficiently use the sharer taskbar region and the sharer display region on tasks related to session control and document previews of unshared contents that are displayed on the sharer display region, but that are not shared by the sharer interface and that are not visible or accessible to a viewer display region, and wherein a configuration associated with the sharer taskbar region is changed which automatically changes a configuration associated with the sharer desktop region in response to the change to the configuration associated with the sharer taskbar region so that the sharer desktop region is resized to efficiently use the sharer desktop region without obscuring any portion of the sharer taskbar region by ensuring the sharer desktop region and the sharer taskbar region together entirely fill the sharer desktop region;

wherein the share operation causes a session control window in the sharer desktop region to be automatically moved to the sharer taskbar region, and

a remote multimedia device configured to communicate with the local multimedia device, the remote multimedia device including a viewer interface, wherein the viewer interface comprises;

the viewer display region;

a viewer desktop region within the viewer display region;

wherein the viewer display region displays contents of a remaining portion of the sharer display region, comprising shared contents, without the unshared contents comprising the session control window, that is not shared by the sharer interface, and wherein the contents of the remaining portion of the sharer display region are displayed on the viewer display region at a first size and are displayed on the remote multimedia device at a second size larger than the first size, and wherein as the taskbar region is resized on the sharer interface and the first size changes, the second size on the viewer interface display does not change.

15. The multimedia collaboration system of claim 14, wherein the local multimedia device further comprises a sharer collaborative application that can be activated through a sharer control option provided in the sharer control area of the sharer taskbar region.

16. The multimedia collaboration system of claim 15, wherein the sharer collaborative application is configured to allow at least a portion of the sharer desktop region to be shared with the remote multimedia device, while preventing sharing of the sharer task bar region.

17. The multimedia collaboration system of claim 16, the portion of the sharer desktop region that is being shared with the remote multimedia device.

18. The multimedia collaboration system of claim 14, wherein the local multimedia device is configured so that there is no overlap between any portion of the sharer taskbar region and any portion of the sharer desktop region.

19. A method of application sharing between a local multimedia device and a remote multimedia device in a multimedia collaboration system, the method comprising:

allocating distinct areas on a sharer display interface of the local multimedia device for a sharer taskbar region and a sharer desktop region wherein the sharer taskbar region represents an area of which is outside the sharer desktop region and a sharer toolbar region, wherein the sharer toolbar region includes the desktop region;

allocating an area on a viewer display interface of the remote multimedia device for a viewer desktop region;

allocating one or more control areas, displayed within the sharer taskbar region, used to control the area on the viewer display interface;

performing a share operation via the local multimedia device;

responsive to performing the share operation, automatically moving a session control window in the sharer desktop region to the sharer taskbar region and resizing the sharer taskbar region to efficiently use the sharer taskbar region and the sharer display interface on tasks related to session control and document previews of unshared contents that are displayed on the sharer display interface but that are not shared by the sharer display interface and that are not visible or accessible to a viewer display interface, changing a configuration associated with the sharer taskbar region and automatically changing a configuration associated with the sharer desktop region in response to the change to the configuration associated with the sharer taskbar region so that the sharer desktop region is resized to efficiently use the sharer desktop region without obscuring any portion of the sharer taskbar region by ensuring the sharer desktop region and the sharer taskbar region together entirely fill the sharer desktop region; and

efficiently using the viewer display interface to display contents of a remaining portion of the sharer display interface, comprising shared contents, without the unshared contents comprising the session control window that is not shared by the sharer display interface, and wherein the contents of the remaining portion of the sharer display interface are displayed on the viewer display interface at a first size and are displayed on the remote multimedia device at a second size larger than the first size, and wherein as the taskbar region is resized on the sharer interface and the first size changes, the second size on the viewer interface display does not change.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein sharing at least a portion of the sharer desktop region comprises sharing with the remote multimedia device a window associated with an application running at the local multimedia device.