COLLABORATION ENVIRONMENTS AND VIEWS

• US 20140032679A1
• Filed: 07/30/2012
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tandon, Ankit, Velayutham, Senthil, Cutler, Ross, Verthein, William
• Granted Patent: US 9,813,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

Provided herein are systems, methods, and software for facilitating collaboration environments. In at least one implementation, a presentation of an initial view of a collaboration scene is presented within a collaboration environment. A portion of the collaboration scene is identified that corresponds to an object of interest selected for separate viewing. A separate presentation within the collaboration environment is initiated related to the portion of the scene corresponding to the object of interest.

Claims

1. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon program instructions for facilitating a collaboration environment that, when executed by a computing system, direct the computing system to at least:

initiate a presentation, within the collaboration environment, of an initial view of a collaboration scene captured in a video stream;

identify a portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to an object of interest in the collaboration scene selected for separate viewing; and

initiate a separate presentation, within the collaboration environment, of a separate view comprising the portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to the object of interest.

2. The one or more computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to modify the initial view of the collaboration scene to a modified view and present the modified view of the collaboration environment simultaneously with the separate view of the collaboration environment.

3. The one or more computer readable media of claim 2 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to receive a selection of the object of interest, and wherein the program instructions direct the computing system to identify the portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to the object of interest in response to receiving the selection.

4. The one or more computer readable media of claim 3 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to identify a second portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to a second object of interest in the scene also selected for separate viewing and present a second separate view simultaneously with the separate view, the second separate view comprising the second portion of the collaboration scene.

5. The one or more computer readable media of claim 3 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to present a remote view simultaneously with the separate view, the remote view comprising a scene remote from the collaboration scene.

6. The one or more computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the program instructions further direct the computing system to present a plurality of collaboration options with respect to at least the object of interest and initiate a collaboration function, with respect to the object of interest, corresponding to a collaboration option selected from the plurality of collaboration options.

7. The one or more computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the object of interest comprises a participant in a collaboration session with a plurality of other participants.

8. The one or more computer readable media of claim 1 wherein the initial view comprises a video presentation window and wherein the collaboration environment comprises the video presentation window and an instant message presentation window.

9. A method for facilitating a collaboration environment, the method comprising:

presenting within the collaboration environment an initial view of a collaboration scene captured in a video stream;

identifying a portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to an object of interest in the collaboration scene selected for separate viewing;

presenting within the collaboration environment a separate view comprising the portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to the object of interest;

modifying the initial view of the collaboration scene to a modified view; and

presenting the modified view of the collaboration environment simultaneously with the separate view of the collaboration environment.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving a selection of the object of interest, wherein identifying the portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to the object of interest occurs in response to receiving the selection.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising identifying a second portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to a second object of interest in the scene also selected for separate viewing and presenting a second separate view simultaneously with the separate view, the second separate view comprising the second portion of the collaboration scene.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising presenting a remote view simultaneously with the separate view, the remote view comprising a scene remote from the collaboration scene.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising presenting a plurality of collaboration options with respect to at least the object of interest and initiating a collaboration function, with respect to the object of interest, corresponding to a collaboration option selected from the plurality of collaboration options.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the object of interest comprises a participant in a collaboration session with a plurality of other participants.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the initial view comprises a video presentation window and wherein the collaboration environment comprises the video presentation window and an instant message presentation window.

16. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon program instructions executable by one or more computing systems to facilitate a collaboration environment, the program instructions comprising:

server program instructions that, when executed by a server computing system, direct the server computing system to at least;

transfer for delivery to a client device video information for presentation within the collaboration environment, the video information comprising a collaboration scene captured by a collaboration capture device and a remote scene captured by a remote capture device;

identify a portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to an object of interest identified by the client device for separate viewing within the collaboration environment; and

transfer for delivery to the client device separate video information comprising the portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to the object of interest.

17. The one or more computer readable media of claim 16 wherein the program instructions further comprise:

client program instructions that, when executed by the client device, direct the client device to at least;

receive the video information and present an initial view of the collaboration scene;

receive an indication of the object of interest and identify the object of interest to the server computing system; and

receive the separate video information and present within the collaboration environment a separate view comprising the portion of the collaboration scene corresponding to the object of interest.

18. The one or more computer readable media of claim 17 wherein the client program instructions, when further executed by the client device, direct the client device to:

modify the initial view of the collaboration scene to a modified view; and

present the modified view of the collaboration environment simultaneously with the separate view of the collaboration environment.

19. The one or more computer readable media of claim 17 wherein the initial view comprises a video presentation window and wherein the collaboration environment comprises the video presentation window and an instant message presentation window.

20. The one or more computer readable media of claim 16 wherein the object of interest comprises a participant in a collaboration session with a plurality of other participants depicted in the collaboration scene.