Multi-party collaboration over a computer network

• US 10,180,765 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2017
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AK Meeting IP LLC (Pueblo Nuevo LLC)
• Original Assignee: Uranus International Limited
• Inventors: Kropivny, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US15/429,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20170153786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference

Abstract

A method for supporting multi-party collaboration over a computer network involves receiving messages at a server from a plurality of client computers in communication via the network and having common content displayed on an associated display area. The messages include cursor movement information and client content input by a user of at least one of the client computers and the method involves producing output messages corresponding to the cursor movement information and client content, causing the server to transmit the output messages that include client content to each of the plurality of client computers, including the client computer that generated the client content. The method further involves causing the server to transmit output messages that include cursor movement information to at least client computers other than the client computer that generated the cursor movement to facilitate display of a pointer on the respective client computers.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a server for supporting multi-party collaboration over a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving messages at the server from a plurality of client computers in communication via the network and having common content displayed on an associated display area of the client computers, the messages including cursor movement information representing cursor movements on the respective client computers and client content input by a user of at least one of the plurality of client computers;

causing a processor circuit of the server to produce cursor output messages including information corresponding to the cursor movement information contained in the messages received at the server and content output messages including the client content contained in the messages received at the server;

causing a network interface of the server to transmit the content output messages to each of the plurality of client computers, including the client computer that generated the client content, to facilitate display of the client content on respective displays of each client computer; and

causing the network interface of the server to transmit the cursor output messages to at least client computers other than the client computer that generated the cursor movement to facilitate display of a pointer associated with the cursor on respective displays of the other client computers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said common content comprises:

web page content associated with a web site accessible over the computer network;

and content input by users of one or more of the client computers.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

causing the network interface of the server to transmit the cursor output messages to the client computer that generated the cursor movement to facilitate display of a pointer associated with the cursor on the display of the client computer that generated the cursor movement to provide an indication of network latency for transmissions between the client computer and the server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving messages including client content comprises receiving messages representing characters typed by a user of the at least one client computer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each message including client content represents a single character typed by the user of the at least one client computer such that transmission of the output messages by the server causes the characters to be sequentially displayed on each of the respective client computers.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving messages including client content comprises receiving messages representing one of:

an image to be displayed on the display area of each respective client computer;

a link to a web page; and

a link to previously saved content on the server.

7. A method implemented on a server for supporting multi-party collaboration over a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving messages at the server from a plurality of client computers in communication via the network and having common content displayed on an associated display area of the client computers, the messages including cursor movement information representing cursor movements on the respective client computers and client content input by a user of at least one of the plurality of client computers;

causing a processor circuit of the server to produce output messages including information corresponding to the cursor movement information and client content contained in the messages received at the server;

causing a network interface of the server to transmit the output messages that include client content to each of the plurality of client computers, including the client computer that generated the client content, to facilitate display of the client content on respective displays of each client computer; and

causing the network interface of the server to transmit output messages that include cursor movement information to;

client computers other than the client computer that generated the cursor movement to facilitate display of a pointer associated with the cursor on respective displays of the other client computers; and

the client computer that generated the cursor movement to facilitate display of a pointer associated with the cursor on the display of the client computer that generated the cursor movement to provide an indication of network latency for transmissions between the client computer and the server.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said common content comprises:

web page content associated with a web site accessible over the computer network;

and content input by users of one or more of the client computers.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein receiving messages including client content comprises receiving messages representing characters typed by a user of the at least one client computer.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein each message including client content represents a single character typed by the user of the at least one client computer such that transmission of the output messages by the server causes the characters to be sequentially displayed on each of the respective client computers.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein receiving messages including client content comprises receiving messages representing one of:

an image to be displayed on the display area of each respective client computer;

a link to a web page; and

a link to previously saved content on the server.