Real-time collaborative graphics application and method for use on a computer network having a collaborative networking platform

• US 20060059431A1
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pahud, Michel
• Application Number:
  US10/930,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20060059431A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A real-time collaborative graphics application and method (such as Microsoft® Visio®) that runs on top of a collaborative networking platform (such as Microsoft® ConferenceXP) and provides real-time collaboration. The real-time collaborative graphics application and method personalizes local objects created by a local to readily distinguish them from remote objects created by remote users. Identifiers are used to allow the authorship of an object to be easily determined by all users. Local objects, remote objects, and a combination of the two can be moved and manipulated by any users. A local user may avoid sharing his local objects with remote users. Moreover, a local user can decide to hide remote objects created by remote users. If at a later time the local user decides to once again view the hidden remote objects, all updates since the remote shapes were hidden are automatically updated at the local user'"'"'s document.

Claims

1. A method for collaborating on manipulation of objects using a computer network having a local computing device and a remote computing device, comprising:

running a graphics application on the computer network on top of a collaborative networking platform such that the graphics application is displayed on the local computing device and the remote computing device;

using the graphics application at the local computing device to cause a local user to manipulate the objects to generate local objects;

using the graphics application at the remote computing device to cause a remote user to manipulate the objects to generate remote objects; and

distinguishing between the local objects and the remote objects such that authorship of the local and remote objects can be readily ascertained to identify that the local user manipulated the local objects and the remote user manipulated the remote objects.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising using an identifier to identify the authorship of the local and the remote objects.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the identifier is at least one of:

(a) color;

(b) labels.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the graphics application is a Visio®

application.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising allowing the local user to hide the local objects such that the local objects cannot be seen by the remote user at the remote computing device.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, further comprising hiding the local objects for at least one of:

(a) the local user;

(b) a group of users;

(c) a sub-group of users.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising allowing the local user to hide the remote objects such that the remote objects cannot be seen by the local user at the local computing device.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

hiding at least one of the local and remote objects such that the hidden object can only be seen by its author;

deciding to view the hidden object; and

automatically updating changes made to the hidden object.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, further comprising automatically updating changes made to the hidden object starting from a time when the hidden object was hidden.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising allowing the local user and the remote user to select, independent of each other, objects displayed on the local and remote computing devices.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the objects further comprise at least one of:

(a) the local object; and

(b) the remote object.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

having a local user select the local object and the remote object; and

manipulating the local and remote objects together using the local computing device.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the manipulating further comprises at least one of:

(a) moving the local and remote objects;

(b) resizing the local and remote objects;

(c) grouping the local and remote objects.

14. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising displaying results of the manipulating of the local and remote objects in real time on the local computing device.

15. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising displaying results of the manipulating of the local and remote objects when a button of a pointing device at the local computing device is released.

16. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising defining a sub-group of users on the computer network that can collaborate with each other within the sub-group.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising applying constraints to objects manipulated by the users within the sub-group.

18. The method as set forth in claim 16, further comprising allowing at least one of the users in the sub-group to hide objects.

19. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising creating a discussion thread on the computer network between the local and remote users for the purpose of discussing the manipulation of objects within the collaborative graphics application.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein the discussion thread includes at least one of:

(a) text;

(b) photographs;

(c) video;

(d) shared whiteboard.

21. The method as set forth in claim 19, further comprising using constraint solving to notify the local and remote users if a constraint associated with the local and remote objects has been violated.

22. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

23. A computer-implemented method for collaborating on creation and manipulation of graphical objects, the collaboration occurring between at least two users over a computer network having a collaborative networking platform, comprising:

providing each user with a graphics application running over the collaborative networking platform;

having the users create and manipulate graphical objects using the graphics application;

associating an identifier to each object created and manipulated by any of the users such that a user who generated and manipulated a particular one of the graphical objects can be readily identified; and

allowing the users to select a mixed group of objects containing objects created and manipulated a particular user and by any of the other users.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising choosing to hide from other users graphical objects created and manipulated by a particular user.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising hiding from a view of a user graphical objects created and manipulated by other users.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, wherein the identifier further comprises at least one of the following associated with a user that created and manipulated a particular graphical object:

(a) color;

(b) name of the user that created and manipulated the particular graphical object;

(c) line thickness of the particular graphical object.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising using constraint solving to apply constraints to graphical objects created by the users.

28. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implemented method recited in claim 23.

29. A method for collaborating in real time with other users over a computer network in the creation and manipulation of graphical objects, comprising:

running a collaborative networking platform on the computer network;

running a graphics application over the collaborative networking system;

having a local user, using a local computer on the computer network, produce and manipulate a local graphical object using the graphics application;

having remote users, using remote computers on the computer network, produce and manipulate remote graphical objects using the graphics application;

distinguishing between the local graphical object authored by the local user and each of the remote objects authored by each of the remote users so that each user on the computer network can ascertain the authorship of each graphical object;

allowing the local and remote users to select and manipulate both the local and remote graphical objects;

allowing the local user to hide the local graphical object from viewing by the remote users; and

allowing the remote users to hide their respective remote graphical objects from viewing by the local user and other remote users.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the collaborative networking platform is ConferenceXP by Microsoft®

Corporation.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the graphics application is Visio®

by Microsoft®

Corporation.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising allowing the local user to hide any graphical objects created and manipulated by the remote users such that the hidden graphical objects cannot be viewed by the local user.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

having the local user unhide the graphical objects created and manipulated by the remote users such that the local user can once again view the unhidden graphical objects; and

updating the unhidden graphical objects automatically such that all changes made to the unhidden graphical objects since they were hidden may be viewed.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising defining a collaborative sub-group among the users such that members of the sub-group may collaborate in real time among themselves.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

having the local user, who is a member of the sub-group, select both graphical objects created by the local user and graphical objects created by other members of the sub-group; and

having the local user manipulate in real time the selected graphical objects.

36. A real-time collaborative graphics application system for collaboration in the creation and manipulation of graphical objects, comprising:

a computer network having a plurality of computing devices connected therein including a local computing device for use by a local user and remote computing devices for use by remote users;

a collaborative networking platform running on each computing device of the computer network such that a real-time collaborative graphics application runs on top of the collaborative networking platform;

a local graphical object created by the local user on the local computing device using the real-time collaborative graphics application;

remote graphical objects created by the remote user using the real-time collaborative graphics application; and

identifiers associated with the local user and the remote users that are displayed on the local and remote computing devices to readily distinguish which of the users has created and manipulated each of the graphical objects.

37. The real-time collaborative graphics application system as set forth in claim 36, further comprising a remote object concealer that allows the local user to hide from view graphical objects created by the remote users.

38. The real-time collaborative graphics application system as set forth in claim 37, further comprising a local object concealer that allows the local user to hide graphical objects created by the local user from view of the remote users.

39. The real-time collaborative graphics application system as set forth in claim 36, further comprising an object manipulator that allows the local user to select a combination of local and remote graphical objects and manipulate those objects together in real time.

40. The real-time collaborative graphics application system as set forth in claim 36, further comprising an sub-group module that creates sub-groups of users from the local and remote users such that within each sub-group real-time collaboration on the creation and manipulation of graphical objects can occur.