Displaying Concurrently Presented Versions in Web Conferences

• US 20170366784A1
• Filed: 08/30/2017
• Published: 12/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Beijing Zitiao Network Technology Company Limited (ByteDance Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bastide, Paul R., Loredo, Robert E.
• Application Number:
  US15/691,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20170366784A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A method of providing a number of versions of a presentation in a web conference may comprise streaming at least two different versions of a presentation associated with a web conference over a network to at least one client device, and providing an option to the client device to view an alternative one of the versions. An associated computing system and computer program product are also described. Finally, a method of viewing a number of versions of a web conference presentation in a web conference may comprise, with a client device, joining a web conference presented over a network, and switching between at least two different versions of the presentation based on permissions assigned to a passcode.

Claims

1. A method of providing a number of versions of a presentation in a web conference comprising:

concurrently transmitting at least two different versions of a presentation associated with a web conference over a network to at least one client device, the at least two different versions of the presentation associated with the web conference each having a relationship to a subject being presented in the web conference;

assigning permission to the client device, the permission defining access of the client device to a number of the at least two different versions of the presentation based on a passcode associated with the client device;

receiving a request from the client device to switch o a second version of the presentation;

determining whether the client device is permitted to select an alternate version of the presentation based on the permission; and

switching transmission of a first version of the presentation to the second version of the presentation based on the permission.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the at least two different versions of said presentation with the at least one client device based on a presenter'"'"'s assignment of access to the at least two different versions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching requires a switching passcode different from the passcode to switch from a default version of the at least two different versions of the presentation to the at least one second version of the presentation.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing the client device with a default version of the presentation, the default version of the presentation being assigned to the passcode, wherein;

the default version is one of the at least two different versions of the presentation the client device is provided with when participation in the web conference begins, and

the default version is assigned based on at least one characteristic of a participant associated with the client device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the permissions do not allow for the viewing of the at least one second version of the presentation, then restricting the client device'"'"'s access to the at least one second version of the presentation.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the web conference comprises at least one of a slide show presentation, a streaming audio presentation, a streaming video presentation, instant messaging, file sharing, desktop sharing, collaborative task management, data visualization, chat session, and a survey.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising requiring entry of the passcode by the client device before allowing the client device to view the second version.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the assigned permissions in memory.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising requiring the passcode from a client device before permitting that client device to join the web conference.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting at of the versions of said presentation for transmission to the client device based on the permissions assigned to the passcode provided from that client device.

11. A computing system comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to said processor;

said processor to;

stream at least two different versions of a presentation over a network daring a web conference from a presenter device to a client device, the at least two different versions of the presentation associated with the web conference each having a relationship to a subject being presented in the web conference; and

in response to a request from the client device to view an alternative one of the versions, requesting entry of a switching password different from the passcode in order to switch from the default version to the alternative one of the versions; and

presenter permissions to allow a presenter to assign permissions to the passcode to view the alternative one of the versions.

12. The computing system of claim 11, further comprising access controls configured to determine validity of an entry of the passcode before the client device is permitted to join the web conference.

13. The computing system of claim 12, further comprising conference resources configured to provide at least one of the versions to the client device based on permissions assigned to the passcode.

14. The computing system of claim 11, further comprising access controls configured to determine whether the client device is permitted to view the alternative version based on the permissions assigned to the passcode.

15. The computing system of claim 14, wherein, if permissions assigned to the passcode allow for the viewing of the alternative one of the versions, then permitting the client device to view the alternative version.

16. The computing system, of claim 14, wherein, if permissions assigned to the passcode do not allow for the viewing of the alternative one of the versions, then restricting the client device'"'"'s access to the alternative version.

17. The computing system of claim 11, in which the versions of the presentation of the web conference comprises at least one of a slide show presentation, a streaming audio presentation, a streaming video presentation, instant messaging, file sharing, desktop sharing, collaborative task management, data visualization, a chat session, and a survey.

18. The computing system of claim 13, further comprising requiring entry of the passcode by the client device before allowing the client device to view the alternative one of the versions.

19. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the network comprises at least one of an intranet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a virtual private network (VPN), and the Internet.

20. A computer program product for providing a number of versions of a web conference presentation concurrently, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therewith, said computer readable program code to;

simultaneously stream at least two different versions of a web conference presentation during a single web conference over a network to a client device, the at least two different versions of the presentation associated with the web conference each having a relationship to a subject being presented in the web conference;

provide the client device with a default version of the web conference presentation;

provide an option o the client device to view an alternative one of the at least two different versions of the presentation.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the default version of the web conference presentation is assigned to a passcode, and wherein:

the default version is one of the at least two different versions of the presentation the client device is provided with when participation in the web conference begins, and

the default version is assigned based on at least one characteristic of a participant associated with the client device.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, comprising computer readable program code to:

associate one of the at least two different versions of the presentation with a passcode to be received from the client device joining said web conference;

in response to a request from the client device to view the alternative one of the versions, requesting entry of a switching password different from the passcode in order to switch from the default version to the alternative one of the versions,

determine, via access controls, whether the client device is permitted to view the alternative version based on permissions assigned to the passcode,

in response to a determination that the permissions assigned to the passcode allow for the viewing of the alternative one of the versions, permitting the client device to view the alternative version, and

in response to a determination at the permissions assigned to the passcode do not allow for the viewing of an alternative one of the versions, restricting the client device'"'"'s access to the alternative version

23. A method of viewing a plurality of versions of a presentation in a single web conference comprising:

with a client device, joining a web conference presented over a network;

provide the client device with a default version of a plurality of different versions of a presentation, the default version of the presentations being assigned to a passcode, wherein the plurality of different versions of the presentation associated having a relationship to a subject being presented in the web conference; and

switching between at least two different versions of the presentation based on permissions assigned to the passcode in response to a request from the client device to view one of the plurality of different versions of the presentation.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the default version is one of the plurality of different versions of the presentation the client device is provided with when participation in the web conference begins, and

the default version is assigned based on at least one characteristic of a participant associated with the client device.

25. The method of claim 23, comprising requesting entry of a switching password different from the passcode in order to switch from the default version to one of the plurality of different versions of the presentation.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein switching between at least two different versions of the presentation based on permissions associated with a passcode comprises:

requesting a web conference server for access to an alternative one of the versions;

entering a passcode to determine if the permissions assigned to the passcode allows the client device to access the alternative one of the versions.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein, if permissions assigned to the passcode allow for the viewing of the alternative one of the versions, then accessing the alternative version.