Collaboration System with Whiteboard Access to Global Collaboration Data

• US 20140223334A1
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Inventors: Jensen, Aaron Michael, Foley, David M., Pearson, Adam, Entrekin, Demian
• Granted Patent: US 9,479,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• 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

Abstract

A computer system has access to a database storing collaboration data for at least one collaboration having a collaboration space. The collaboration data includes data structures identifying objects displayable by a display client on a display wall and associating locations in the collaboration space with the objects. The system includes logic configured to identify available display walls, each available wall having an identification code; logic to detect user input identifying a collaboration and an identification code for one of the free display walls; and logic to enable delivery of collaboration data for the identified collaboration to a display client for the identified display wall.

Claims

1. A system supporting distributed whiteboard collaboration, comprising:

a computer system having a communication module and a database accessible thereto, the database storing collaboration data for at least one collaboration having a collaboration space, the collaboration data including data structures identifying objects displayable by a display client on a display wall and associating locations in the collaboration space with the objects, and including logic configured to identify free display walls, each free wall having an identification code;

logic to detect user input identifying a collaboration and an identification code for one of the free display walls; and

logic to enable delivery of collaboration data for the identified collaboration to a display client for the identified display wall.

2. The system of claim 1, including logic to send the identification code to a display client for a display wall in the list, usable by the display client to display the identification code on the display wall.

3. The system of claim 1, including logic to identify a user requesting access to the collaboration prior to enabling delivery of collaboration data to the display client.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the collaboration data comprises an event history for the identified collaboration, usable by the display client to render images on the display wall, and said logic to enable delivery of collaboration data authorizes delivery of some or all of the event history to the display client, and links the display client to an event channel for delivery of live events, and including logic to associate the identified user with the event channel.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user input identifying a collaboration and an identification code is received at the communication module on a channel between the computer system and a device other than said display client.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the display wall has a display area for displaying objects, the display area being mapped to corresponding area in the collaboration space, and including logic to identify a user location in the collaboration space to the display client, the user location being usable by the display client to identify objects in the collaboration data within the display area.

7. The system of claim 1, including logic to change the identification code of a display wall, so that it is usable only one time.

8. The system of claim 1, including logic to change the identification code of a display wall upon expiration of a time out interval.

9. A method supporting distributed whiteboard collaboration, comprising:

storing collaboration data for at least one collaboration having a collaboration space, the collaboration data being accessible by a collaboration server and including data structures identifying objects displayable by a display client on a display wall and associating locations in the collaboration space with the objects;

assigning identification codes to available display walls linked to a collaboration server;

detecting user input identifying a collaboration and an identification code for one of the available display walls; and

enabling delivery of collaboration data for the identified collaboration to a display client for the identified display wall.

10. The method of claim A1, including sending the identification code to a display client for a display wall in the list, usable by the display client to display the identification code on the display wall.

11. The method of claim A1, including identifying a user requesting access to the collaboration prior to enabling delivery of collaboration data to the display client.

12. The method of claim A1, wherein the collaboration data comprises an event history for the identified collaboration, usable by the display client to render images on the display wall, and said enabling delivery of collaboration data authorizes delivery of some or all of the event history to the display client, links the display client to an event channel for delivery of live events, and associates the identified user with the event channel.

13. The method of claim A1, including receiving the user input identifying a collaboration and an identification code on a channel between the collaboration server and a device other than said display client.

14. The method of claim A1, wherein the display wall has a display area for displaying objects, the display area being mapped to corresponding area in the collaboration space, and including identifying a user location in the collaboration space to the display client, the user location being usable by the display client to identify objects in the collaboration data within the display area.

15. The method of claim A1, including changing the identification code of a display wall, so that it is usable only one time.

16. The method of claim A1, including changing the identification code of a display wall upon expiration of a time out interval.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer readable data storage medium storing a computer program or programs executable by a computer system, the computer program or programs including:

logic to access a database, the database storing collaboration data for at least one collaboration having a collaboration space, the collaboration data including data structures identifying objects displayable by a display client on a display wall and associating locations in the collaboration space with the objects;

logic configured to identify free display walls, each free wall having an identification code;

logic to detect user input identifying a collaboration and an identification code for one of the free display walls; and

logic to enable delivery of collaboration data for the identified collaboration to a display client for the identified display wall.