Systems And Methodologies Providing Collaboration And Display Among A Plurality Of Users

• US 20120284646A1
• 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 8,914,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

A system and methodology for collaboration and display among a plurality of users. The system is comprised of mapping logic defining a mapped structure for storing a plurality of separate layers of data in a plurality of data layers; and, storage for storing layer data in selected ones of said plurality of separate data layers, responsive to the mapping logic. The mapping logic associates user image data for each of at least two of the plurality of users for storage as respective said layer data in a respective one of the separate data layers. The system is further comprised of display definition logic controlling which of the plurality of data layers are utilized in providing a display presentation to at least one of the plurality of users. In an alternate embodiment, the system is further comprised of display mapping logic determining a hierarchial structuring for utilization within the display presentation of each respective said one of the data layers, placed within the combined display presentation according to the mapping logic, to appear atop one another within the display presentation, with a precedence of display presence, for providing a combined display presentation; and, display generation logic responsive to the display definition logic, the storage, the mapping logic, and the display mapping logic, for providing the combined display presentation comprising the display presentation associated with a first said data layer of the plurality of data layers appearing within the combined display presentation.

Claims

1. A system for collaboration and display among a plurality of users, each at a respective one of a plurality of computing appliances, the system comprising:

mapping logic defining a mapped structure for storing a plurality of separate layers of data in a plurality of data layers;

storage for associatively mapped storing of layer data in selected ones of said plurality of separate data layers, responsive to the mapping logic;

wherein the mapping logic associates user annotation data for each of at least two of the plurality of users for storage as respective said layer data in a respective one of the separate data layers;

a respective user input, provided by each respective user, providing respective user data for the respective user;

wherein the respective user data for each respective user is stored within structured storage in a respective associated one respective one of the plurality of separate data layers as associated with the respective user, responsive to the mapping logic; and

display definition logic controlling selection of which of the plurality of data layers are utilized in providing a display presentation to at least one of the plurality of users.

2. The system as in claim 1,

display mapping logic determining a hierarchial structuring for utilization within the display presentation of each respective said one of the data layers, placed within the combined display presentation according to the mapping logic, to appear atop one another within the display presentation, with a precedence of display presence, for providing a combined display presentation;

and

display generation logic responsive to the display definition logic, the storage, the mapping logic, and the display mapping logic, for providing the combined display presentation comprising a display presentation associated with a first said data layer of the plurality of data layers appearing within the combined display presentation as shown atop of a display presentation associated with at least one other said data layer of the plurality of data layers.

3. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the respective user input, provided by each respective user, provides respective user data for the respective user;

and

wherein the respective user data for each respective user is stored within structured storage in a respective associated respective one of the plurality of separate data layers, responsive to the mapping logic.

4. The system as in claim 1,

wherein at least one of said plurality of data layers further comprises a base image having an associated display presentation data layer for storing base image data;

wherein the mapping logic associates the base image data for storage in the base data layer of the plurality of data layers; and

wherein the mapping logic and the display definition logic are further responsive to and utilize the base data layer to form an underlying image in the combined display presentation, upon which the display presentation of the respective said data layers are positioned atop the underlying images of the base image in the display presentation.

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

communications apparatus providing voice communications between at least two of the plurality of users.

6. The system as in claim 1,

wherein each of the plurality of users is associated with a respective separate computer of the plurality of computers, the system further comprising:

communications control logic providing communication of changes to stored data in storage of data for respective ones of the data layers; and

wherein the changes are communicated from each said data layer for each said respective separate computer and is communicated to each and all other ones of the plurality of computers for each of the plurality of users.

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

layer control logic for selectively enabling respective ones of the data layers to be utilized in the providing of the display presentation; and

display generation logic responsive to the display definition logic, the storage, the mapping logic, and the layer control logic, providing the combined display presentation comprising the display presentation associated with a first said data layer of the plurality of data layers appearing within the combined display presentation as shown atop of the display presentation associated with at least one other said data layer of the plurality of data layers.

8. The system as in claim 7,

wherein the layer control logic is comprised of control bits in a table stored within the mapping logic for each of the data layers;

wherein the control bits define either selective enablement of each of the respective data layers, as selected to be used in providing of the display presentation, and alternatively the control bits define exclusion of use of the respective data layers to not be used in providing of the display presentation; and

wherein the display presentation is provided responsive to the layer control logic.

9. A method of collaboration and display among a plurality of users each at a respective one of a plurality of computing appliances, the method comprising:

separately storing respective input data for each respective user of the plurality of users, locally in each of the plurality of computing appliances as associated with each respective one of the plurality of users;

mapping for each user of a plurality of users, the respective input data for that respective user, to be associatively mapped for storage in at least one respective associated data layer;

selectively enabling at least two of the data layers to be selected data layers, providing control of selection of which users are selected users that are permitted to do editing; and

storing respective input data responsive to input by the selected users, of editing, and storing of respective layer data representative of the editing, in the respective said associated data layer;

providing a defined hierarchial display structuring for use of an image of the selected data layers displayed atop a common underlying image as shown in the display presentation; and

generating a display presentation from the selected ones of the data layers responsive to the defined hierarchial display structuring.

10. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

storing in associated respective ones of the data layers, the user input data representative of editing made by each respective said user, and time-related data representative of an associated time order of entry for each said user input data.

11. The method as in claim 9,

wherein the display presentation provides a representation of the editing of at least two of the users responsive to the respective said input data as input by said at least two users, responsive to the respective ones of the plurality of data layers.

12. The method as in claim 9,

wherein the generating a display presentation further comprises:

specifying on a data layer by data layer basis, which of the data layers to enable for viewing, and which of the data layers to disable to prevent viewing; and

providing for the display presentation responsive to overlaying of respective images represented by the respective data layers by overlaying of the images for the data layers hierarchally for prioritized viewability in a combined display presentation responsive to the specifying.

13. The method as in claim 9,

storing base data for a base image in a base layer of data storage as associatively mapped to an associated base data layer;

and

wherein the common underlying image as shown in the display presentation is of the base image of the base data.

14. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

providing local storage of a duplicate set of addressable data layers within each of the computing appliances;

wherein storage of the input data for each said respective user is stored within the respective one of the local storage data layers of the respective one of the computing appliances that is associated with the respective user providing said input data;

wherein copies of each of said respective data layers are replicated and stored locally in the computing appliances of the users as duplicate sets of data layers; and

providing copying of the input data for each said respective user from the respective one of the local storage data layers for that respective said user, and to each of the other respective ones of the local storage data layers for other ones of the plurality of users.

15. The method as in claim 9,

wherein contents in the data layers are representative of at least one of:

text;

a vector drawing;

images;

3D models;

audio;

video;

data tables;

executable programs;

links; and

documents.

16. The method as in claim 9, further comprising;

maintaining a list of data layers; and

wherein each said data layer in the list is associatively mapped to a respective user.

17. The method as in claim 9, further comprising:

at least one of controlling selective editability enablement for controlling storage of input of user data within each respective said data layer; and

controlling selective use of each said respective data layer in the generating of the display presentation.

18. The method as in claim 9, further comprising;

providing voice communications between at least two of the plurality of users.

19. A system for display among a plurality of users, the system comprising:

mapping logic defining a mapped structure for storing a plurality of separate layers of data in a plurality of data layers;

wherein at least one respective separate layer of data is associated with each respective user for at least two separate individual users;

memory storage for storing respective edit data in said plurality of separate layers of data, responsive to the mapping logic;

wherein storage of edit data in the plurality of separate layers of data is stored responsive to the mapping logic;

wherein each said respective one of the separate layers of data is utilized for storing respective edit data for a respective associated user;

wherein the edit data for each respective associated user is stored as respective changes to the respective layer data in the respective one of the separate layers of data, responsive to the mapping logic;

display definition logic defining which of the plurality of separate layers of data to utilize as selected layers of data to be combined for providing of a combined display presentation; and

display generation logic responsive to the display definition logic, the memory storage, and the mapping logic, for providing the combined display presentation utilizing the selected layers of data.

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

display mapping logic controlling use in the display presentation of the data layers, as appearing atop one another.

21. The system as in claim 20,

wherein the data layers appear atop one another with a precedence of display presence as defined by the display mapping logic.

22. The system as in claim 19,

wherein at least one of said plurality of data layers is further comprised of a base image data layer for storing base image data for an associated base image display;

wherein the mapping logic associates the base image data for storage in the base layer of data of the plurality of data layers; and

wherein the display generation logic provides a combined display presentation comprising a display presentation utilizing the edit data for the selected layers of data, as appearing atop a display presentation of the base image display that appears in the combined display presentation.

23. The system as in claim 19,

wherein at least one respective separate layer of data is associated with storage of layer data for each of both of at least two said respective users.

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

a communications interface communicating at intervals, changes to content of the data layers;

wherein the communicating keeps all local copies of all the data layers in local storage of all the computing appliances synchronized to contain a same duplicated storage.

25. A method of collaborating and displaying, the method comprising:

separately storing into a plurality of data layers and mapping for each user of a plurality of users, respective user input data for each user'"'"'s respective input, which user input data is associatively mapped for storage in at least one respective associated data layer;

selectively enabling storage in a plurality of data layers, on a data layer by data layer basis, according to which of the users are allowed to do editing, and storing edit data for said editing, responsive to a respective user input, in at least one respective associated data layer for storage of input of said respective user;

storing in separate respective ones of the data layers, the edit data representative of the input of editing by each respective said user, and storing the respective edit data as associated with said input of editing for each said user, so as to maintain separate storage in respective separate ones of the data layers for the respective said input editing as done by each respective said user;

defining a hierarchy for generating a display presentation representative of the input of editing, responsive to defining a desired structure of logical overlaying of the respective display presentations associated with each of the respective plurality of data layers in the desired structure; and

generating the display presentation representative of the editing of the users providing the edit data, responsive to logically overlaying the respective plurality of layers of data in accordance with the hierarchy for generating the display presentation.

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

specifying on a data layer by data layer basis, which data layers are enabled data layers that are enabled for use in viewing in the display presentation, and which layers of data are disabled layers and to not include the disabled layers for viewing in the display presentation; and

logically overlaying a display of the enabled data layers in the display presentation comprising utilizing the respective data layers, hierarchally layered atop each other for prioritized viewability in the display presentation responsive to the defining, the specifying and to the data layers.

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

providing a split screen display for at least two of the users;

wherein one part of the split screen display is of a same display presentation using a same set of respective said data layers; and

wherein at least one other part of the split screen display for each of the at least two users is different from the said same display presentation.

28. The method as in claim 27,

wherein a separate version of the different display presentation is provided to each of the at least two users.