Shared space for communicating information

• US 20080114844A1
• Filed: 11/13/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ohta, Seiya, Sanchez, Russell, Colando, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1078 Resource delivery mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Embodiments provide a shared space for communicating information. In an embodiment a number of users associated with a computing environment can use a shared space to communicate information with one another. Each computing device of the computing environment can include a shared space application. The shared space application includes a number of interactive tools that can be used to persist various communications between associated computing devices of a computing environment.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed, share data by:

creating a shared space, wherein the shared space includes a space canvas and a number of tools;

associating one or more users as one or more participants of the shared space;

using one of the number of tools to interact with the space canvas including interacting using an expression, wherein the expression is selected from at least one of a digital image, digital text, and digital ink; and

,

persisting the expression in the shared space.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, share data by using one of the number of tools to interact with the space canvas using at least one of a video and an audio expression.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, share data by providing a live connection to enable one or more communicating participants to interact using video and audio.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, share data by updating the shared space to expose the expression to each communicating participant.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions, when executed, share data by updating the shared space to expose the expression to each communicating participant, wherein the expression is synchronized with shared space data of each online participant.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions, when executed, share data by using a master file to update the shared space with the expression.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, share data by storing the expression to a scrapbook.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, share data by maintaining a history of the shared space.

9. A user interface to share data comprising:

a space canvas to display a number of expressions;

a number of tools to interact with a shared space that is shared by a number of associated users, wherein the number of tools enable a user to include an expression selected from at least one of digital ink, digital text, and a digital image on the space canvas; and

an indicator to indicate a participant associated with the shared space, wherein the indicator is to also indicate a current status of the participant.

10. The user interface of claim 9, wherein the number of tools can be used to create, modify, and save one or more expressions to the space canvas.

11. The user interface of claim 9, wherein the number of tools are selected from at least one of a toolset tray button, a toolset button, a tool button, and a palette button.

12. The user interface of claim 9, wherein the space canvas can receive input from at least one of a stylus, keyboard, and finger.

13. The user interface of claim 9, wherein the indicator is configured to establish a live connection with another participant.

14. The user interface of claim 9, wherein the space canvas is configured to expose one or more expressions made by a remote participant.

15. The user interface of claim 9, wherein the user interface includes magnification and focusing functionality to interact with the expression.

16. A method of sharing data comprising:

associating a number of users with a shared space, wherein the shared space includes a canvas;

interacting with the shared space by adding an expression to the canvas, wherein the expression is selected from at least one of a digital image, digital text, and digital ink; and

communicating the shared space so that the canvas of each user includes the added expression.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising updating the shared space to expose other expressions added by a remote user.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing the added expression to local storage.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising communicating the shared space using a peer-to-peer communication service.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising communicating the shared space over a network.