System For Collaboration Of A Specific Image And Utilizing Selected Annotations While Viewing And Relative To Providing A Display Presentation

• US 20120284635A1
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collaboration Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: David H Sitrick
• Inventors: Sitrick, David H., Fling, Russell T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,806,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• 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 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system and methodology for collaborating. The system is comprised of a plurality of computing appliances, each of the computing appliances having an input apparatus providing for a respective user input of and storage of annotations input relative to and while viewing a display presentation of a specific image and each of the computing appliances having a display apparatus providing a display presentation of a specific image to be viewed by an associated respective user of the plurality of users. Logic controls communication and utilization of selected annotations in providing a display presentation. At least two of the plurality of computing appliances have input apparatus each providing annotation data responsive to the associated respective user input of annotations using the input apparatus. Memory provides associative storage of the annotation data as mapped relative to the associated respective user of the respective computing appliance providing the respective user input. For at least two of said plurality of computing appliances, the input apparatus provides for input of the annotations while the display presentation of the respective said display apparatus provides the specific image presented for viewing by the respective user while the annotations are being made by that said respective user.

Claims

1. A system for collaboration of a plurality of users, the system comprising:

a plurality of computing appliances,

each of the plurality of computing appliances having a display apparatus providing a display presentation of a specific image to be viewed by an associated respective user of the plurality of users;

at least two of the plurality of computing appliances having an input apparatus providing annotation data responsive to the associated respective user input of annotations using the input apparatus;

memory for associatively storing the annotation data as mapped relative to the associated respective user of the respective computing appliance providing the respective user input; and

wherein at the at least two of said plurality of computing appliances, the input apparatus provides for input of the annotations while the display presentation of the respective said display apparatus provides the specific image presented for viewing by the respective user while the annotations are being made by that said respective user.

2. The system as in claim 1,

team selection logic assigning each one of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances each as a member of an associated team;

and

control logic coordinating a simultaneous display presentation at each of the at least two of the plurality of computing appliances that are said members, responsive to the annotations as input by the respective said members.

3. The system as in claim 2, further comprising:

designation logic assigning each said member a respective role designation which thereafter controls operations of the respective member computing appliance.

4. The system as in claim 3,

wherein for at least two said plurality of computing appliances the operations of the respective said at least two said plurality of computing appliances of a same said associated team are controlled to permit input of the annotations by, and a display presentation responsive thereto for, the associated respective user.

5. The system as in claim 2, further comprising:

display logic controlling selection of which ones of the respective users are selected members; and

wherein the annotation data for the selected members are utilized in providing the display presentation to each said respective member of the associated team.

6. The system as in claim 5,

wherein, within said associated team, there is at least one sub-grouping comprised of at least two of the respective members of the associated team, the system further comprising:

secondary display control logic providing a separate portion of the display presentation responsive to the respective annotation data for the respective members of the at least one sub-grouping of the associated team; and

wherein the separate portion of the display presentation is separately viewable by the members of the sub-grouping.

7. The system as in claim 2,

communication selection logic responsive to the respective said role designation, to control the operations of the respective said computing appliance of the respective member, and for selecting which of the annotation data is communicated from which of the respective members and to which of the respective members.

8. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the display presentation provided at at least one of said plurality of computing appliances is comprised of a single combined display presentation comprised of a plurality of separate display presentations combined together into a single display presentation of the plurality of separate display presentations.

9. The system as in claim 8,

wherein each of the plurality of separate display presentations is comprised of a respective one display combination of different combinations of the user annotation layers displayed relative to a display of an underlying core layer.

10. The system as in claim 2,

wherein the team is further comprised of at least two sub-teams;

wherein each one of the members is assigned to and associated with a respective one of the at least two sub-teams;

wherein each said sub-team is comprised of at least one respective said member; and

wherein the display presentation provided to each of the members is comprised of the display presentation of the specific image combined with the display presentation for the respective said annotations as provided by at least one other of said plurality of computing appliances which is on the same respective said sub-team with the member for which the display presentation is provided.

11. The system as in claim 10,

wherein the display presentation provided to at least one of the members is comprised of the display presentation of the specific image combined with the display presentation for the respective said annotations as provided by at least one other said computing appliance which is on the same respective said sub-team with the member for which the display presentation is provided, further combined with a display presentation for the respective said annotations as provided by at least one other said computing appliance which is a member of a second of the two sub-teams.

12. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

control logic controlling communication of the annotation data between selected ones of the plurality of computing appliances; and

display logic controlling utilization of selected ones of the annotations that are associated with selected ones of the users in providing a display presentation.

13. The system as in claim 10,

wherein there is at least one separate additional display presentation that is only provided to the members of a same sub-team.

14. The system as in claim 10,

wherein a common display presentation is provided to all members of a same said sub-team.

15. The system as in claim 10,

wherein there is a separate additional communication of selected parts of the annotation data provided between at least one member from each of the at least two sub-teams.

16. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

facilitator logic controlling communication of the annotation data between and among selected ones of the plurality of computing appliances, the facilitator logic also controlling utilization of selected ones of the annotations for selected ones of the users in providing a display presentation.

17. The system as in claim 1,

wherein facilitator logic assigns each one of the plurality of computing appliances as a member of at least two members of an associated team comprising a subset of multiple selected ones of the plurality of computing appliances;

and

wherein the facilitator logic assigns each said member a respective role designation which thereafter controls operation of the respective computing appliance for the respective member.

18. The system as in claim 17,

wherein the system is responsive to the role designation to control the operations of the computing appliances of the respective member in controlling operation of respective ones of the members'"'"' computing appliances as selected members, and further controlling using the respective annotations for the selected members in providing the display presentation to at least one of the members.

19. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

annotation selection logic selecting which of the annotation data is used in providing the display presentation.

20. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the display presentation is comprised of a plurality of display presentations shown together in combination as a split-screen presentation.

21. The system as in claim 1,

wherein at least two of the plurality of display presentations are comprised of a display of different combinations of the user annotations layers displayed relative to a display of the underlying core layer.

22. A method for collaboration of a plurality of users, each said user at a respective one associated computing appliance of a plurality of computing appliances, each one of the computing appliances having a respective display apparatus, the method comprising:

providing a display presentation, on the respective display apparatus at each of the plurality of computing appliances, of a specific image to be viewed by each said respective user;

providing respective user input of annotations from a respective user, at each of the plurality of computing appliances, while showing the respective user the display presentation of the specific image;

associatively storing the annotation data for the respective annotations in a memory;

wherein the annotation data is stored as mapped by and relative to the respective said computing appliance that is providing the respective user input;

generating a modified display presentation comprised of the specific image presented for viewing by the respective user while storing the respective user input of the annotations made by that said respective user on the input apparatus;

associating individual ones of the users as selected ones of the users that are members of a same team;

controlling communication of the annotation data between and among respective said associated computing appliances that are associated with the selected ones of the users;

controlling utilization of the annotations for the selected ones of the users in providing a combined display presentation; and

providing the combined display presentation to the selected ones of the users at the associated computing appliances.

23. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

assigning each one of the plurality of computing appliances as a member, of at least two members, of an associated team comprising a subset of multiple selected ones of the plurality of computing appliances;

assigning each said member a respective role designation; and

controlling operations of the respective member responsive to the respective role designation assigned to said member.

24. The method as in claim 23, further comprising:

controlling the operations of the respective of the respective members to selectively permit input of the annotations by the respective member, responsive to the respective role designation assigned to said member.

25. The method as in claim 23, further comprising:

controlling the operations of the respective computing appliance of the respective member, in selecting for which of the members'"'"' respective said annotations are utilized in providing the display presentation to each said respective member, responsive to the respective role designation assigned to said member.

26. The method as in claim 23, further comprising:

controlling the operations of the respective member, in selecting which ones of the annotations are communicated from which of the respective members and to which of the respective members, responsive to the respective role designation assigned to said member.

27. The method as in claim 23, further comprising:

controlling the operations of one said respective member, in controlling selection of respective ones of the members as selected members, responsive to the respective role designation assigned to said member; and

using the respective annotations for the selected members in providing the display presentation to at least one of the members, responsive to the respective role designation assigned to said at least one of the members.

28. The method as in claim 22,

wherein the display presentation is comprised of a plurality of display presentations shown together in combination as a split-screen presentation.

29. The method as in claim 23,

wherein the plurality of display presentations are each comprised of a display of different combinations of the user annotation layers displayed relative to a display of the underlying core layer.

30. The method as in claim 23,

wherein the associated team is further comprised of at least two sub-teams;

the method further comprising;

assigning each one of the members to a respective one of the at least two sub-teams; and

providing to each of the members of each of the sub-teams, the display presentation comprised of the display presentation of the specific image combined with the display presentation for the respective said annotations as provided by at least one other said computing appliance which is on the same respective one said sub-team with the member for which the respective said display presentation is provided.

31. The method as in claim 30,

wherein the display presentation provided to each of the members is comprised of the display presentation of the specific image combined with the display presentation for the respective said annotations as provided by at least one other of said computing appliance which is on the same respective said sub-team with the member for which the display presentation is provided, further combined with a display presentation for the respective said annotations as provided by at least one other said computing appliance which is a member of a second of the two sub-teams.