VISUAL FEEDBACK DURING REMOTE COLLABORATION

• US 20130278629A1
• Filed: 04/24/2012
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Tan, Kar-Han
• Granted Patent: US 9,190,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• 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: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

Visual feedback is provided to a local user of a remote collaboration system. While an image is being captured, it is recognized that content is being shared on a screen. A composite image is generated which includes a form of the image being captured and the shared content. The composite image is caused to be displayed on a remote screen. A variably semi-transparent image of at least a portion of the composite image or the image is generated and is rendered on a portion of the screen such that the variably semi-transparent image is overlaid on any of the shared content or another composite image displayed on the screen.

Claims

1. A method for providing visual feedback to a local user of a remote collaboration system, the method comprising:

recognizing that content is being shared on a screen while an image is being captured;

generating a composite image including a form of the image being captured and the shared content;

causing the composite image to be displayed on a remote screen;

generating a variably semi-transparent image of at least a portion of the composite image or the image; and

rendering the variably semi-transparent image on a portion of the screen such that the variably semi-transparent image is overlaid on any of the shared content or an other composite image displayed on the screen.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

recognizing that the shared content is occluding an object in the composite image; and

dynamically and automatically causing a level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image to vary based upon the object that is being occluded by the shared content.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the dynamically and automatically causing includes causing the level of transparency to be lower when the object is the local user.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the rendering of the variably semi-transparent image is accomplished by causing the variably semi-transparent image to be overlaid on the shared content alone.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the rendering of the variably semi-transparent image is accomplished by causing the variably semi-transparent image to be displayed in a window that is overlaid on any of the shared content or the other composite image displayed on the screen.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising causing the variably semi-transparent image to exhibit a level of transparency that corresponds with a local user-selected transparency level setting.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the generating of the variably semi-transparent image is accomplished using alpha compositing.

8. A computer readable medium having instructions that when executed implement a method for providing visual feedback to a local user of a remote collaboration system, the method comprising:

recognizing that content is being shared on a screen while an image is being captured;

generating a composite image including a form of the image being captured and the shared content;

causing the composite image to be displayed on a remote screen;

generating a variably semi-transparent image of at least a portion of the composite image or the image; and

rendering the variably semi-transparent image on a portion of the screen such that the variably semi-transparent image is overlaid on any of the shared content or an other composite image displayed on the screen.

9. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 8 wherein the method further comprises:

recognizing that the shared content is occluding an object in the composite image; and

dynamically and automatically causing a level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image to vary based upon the object that is being occluded by the shared content.

10. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 9 wherein the dynamically and automatically causing includes causing the level of transparency to be lower when the object is the local user.

11. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 8 wherein the rendering of the variably semi-transparent image includes causing the variably semi-transparent image to be overlaid on the shared content alone.

12. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 8 wherein the rendering of the variably semi-transparent image includes causing the variably semi-transparent image to be displayed in a window that is overlaid on any of the shared content or the other composite image displayed on the screen.

13. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 8 wherein the rendering of the variably semi-transparent image includes causing the variably semi-transparent image to exhibit a level of transparency that corresponds with a local user-selected transparency level setting.

14. A system for providing visual feedback to a local user of a remote collaboration system, the system comprising:

a compositing engine to;

recognize that content is being shared on a screen while an image is being captured;

generate a composite image including a form of the image being captured and the shared content; and

cause the composite image to be displayed on a remote screen; and

a visual feedback engine to;

generate a variably semi-transparent image of at least a portion of the composite image or the image; and

render the variably semi-transparent image on a portion of the screen such that the variably semi-transparent image is overlaid on any of the shared content or an other composite image displayed on the screen.

15. The system as defined in claim 14 wherein the visual feedback engine is further to:

recognize that the shared content is occluding an object in the composite image; and

dynamically and automatically cause a level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image to vary based upon the object that is being occluded by the shared content.

16. The system as defined in claim 14 wherein the visual feedback engine is further to cause the variably semi-transparent image to be overlaid on the shared content alone.

17. The system as defined in claim 14 wherein the visual feedback engine is further to cause the variably semi-transparent image to be displayed in a window that is overlaid on any of the shared content or the other composite image displayed on the screen.

18. The system as defined in claim 14 wherein the visual feedback engine is further to cause the variably semi-transparent image to exhibit a level of transparency that corresponds with a local user-selected transparency level setting.