Annotation layer for synchronous collaboration

• US 6,342,906 B1
• Filed: 02/02/1999
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Suresh, Varma, Pradeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US09/243,084
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 345/330, 345/331, 345/332, 345/329, 345/339, 345/435, 345/751, 345/753, 345/759, 345/764, 707/512, 709/201, 709/204, 709/205
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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

Abstract

Effective real-time collaboration across remote sites in which any type of data can be shared in a common work space in a consistent manner is made possible by an annotation layer having multiple distinct modes of operation during a collaborative session with two or more people sharing the same work space. One mode is a discussion mode in which one or more users simply share a common view of the shared data and manipulate the view independent of the shared data. During the discussion mode, all user input is handled by the annotation layer which interprets user inputs to move common cursors, create, move or delete markings and text which, since the annotation layer is transparent, appear over the application. Another mode is an edit mode in which one or more users actually edit the shared data. The applications and the data are synchronized among all clients to display the same view. Manipulating the view includes moving a common cursor and placing markings on the common view using text and/or drawing tools.

Claims

1. A work space independent user interface for a real-time collaboration system implemented on computers connected in a network, the real-time collaboration system augmented with the user interface continues to support every work space that it could previously support, the user interface comprising:

a shared transparent annotation layer built in the real-time collaboration system, the shared transparent annotation layer being placed between each participant and a shared work space, the shared transparent annotation layer overlying the work space so that each participant can view the work space through the shared transparent annotation layer;

means for choosing and changing a mode of operation during a collaborative session between a discussion mode and an edit mode, wherein in the discussion mode only the annotation layer is directly manipulated and/or modified and wherein in the edit mode only the work space is directly manipulated and/or modified, the shared transparent annotation layer in the discussion mode providing to the collaboration session a convenience of variously viewing and discussing the work space by participants of the collaboration session, including marking the shared transparent annotation layer in different ways without actually modifying the work space itself, the marking of the shared transparent annotation layer not being limited to markings supported by the work space itself; and

means for supporting enforcement of synchrony between any work space and the work space'"'"'s covering transparent annotation layer wherein, for any work space, when the work space and its covering transparent annotation layer are synchronized, scrolling the work space also scrolls the transparent annotation layer and vice versa, expanding the work space by adding data to the work space also expands the transparent annotation layer in corresponding regions, and contracting the work space by deleting data from it also contracts the transparent annotation layer by truncating corresponding regions.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface provides a standardized way of viewing, discussing, marking, and expertly modifying any work space in a real-time collaboration, allowing a participant to easily direct and/or participate in any real-time collaboration session without having expert knowledge of how to manipulate and/or modify a session specific shared work space while still allowing a participant with expert knowledge to continue to manipulate and/or modify the session specific shared work space.

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein synchrony between any work space and its covering transparent annotation layer is based on a comparison of images of the work space and the transparent annotation layer.

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein in the discussion mode, the work space underneath the transparent annotation layer optionally remains visible, and wherein in the edit mode, the transparent annotation layer overlying the work space optionally remains visible.

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the means for choosing and changing mode supports the specification of choice and change of mode by any participant.

6. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the means for choosing and changing mode supports the control of mode of some participants by other participants.

7. The user interface of claim 6, wherein the means for choosing and changing mode allows participants to change the mode and restrict a set of modes available to other participants.

8. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the means for choosing and changing mode supports changing a set of participants with authorization to control the mode of other participants.

9. The user interface of claim 8, wherein control of the mode of a participant controls read/write permission of the participant, any participant who has been granted edit mode can write to the work space while any participant who has been restricted to the discussion mode can at most only read the work space.

10. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the transparent annotation layer is based on a client portion of a real-time collaboration system for whiteboard-like work spaces.

11. A work space independent user interface for a real-time collaboration system implemented on computers connected in a network, the real-time collaboration system augmented with the user interface continues to support every work space that it could previously support, the user interface comprising:

a shared transparent annotation layer built in the real-time collaboration system, the shared transparent annotation layer being placed between each participant and a shared work space, the shared transparent annotation layer overlying the work space so that each participant can view the work space through the shared transparent annotation layer;

means for choosing and changing a mode of operation during a collaborative session between a discussion mode and an edit mode, wherein in the discussion mode only the annotation layer is directly manipulated and/or modified and wherein in the edit mode only the work space is directly manipulated and/or modified, the shared transparent annotation layer in the discussion mode providing to the collaboration session a convenience of variously viewing and discussing the work space by participants of the collaboration session, including marking the shared transparent annotation layer in different ways without actually modifying the work space itself, the marking of the shared transparent annotation layer not being limited to markings supported by the work space itself; and

means for supporting enforcement of asynchrony between any work space and the work space'"'"'s covering transparent annotation layer, wherein for any work space, when the work space and its covering transparent annotation layer are left unsynchronized, scrolling the work space does not scroll the annotation layer, scrolling the annotation layer does not scroll the work space, and modifying the work space does not correspondingly modify the annotation layer.

12. The user interface of claim 11, wherein asynchrony between a work space and its covering transparent annotation layer allows the transparent annotation layer to serve as a static filter through which the entire work space or a portion of the work space can be seen.

13. A method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system implemented on computers connected in a network, comprising:

providing as a user interface a shared transparent annotation layer built in the real-time collaboration system, the shared transparent annotation layer being placed between each participant and a shared work space, the shared transparent annotation layer overlying the work space so that each participant can view the work space through the shared transparent annotation layer, the real-time collaboration system augmented with the user interface continuing to support every work space that it could previously support, the shared transparent annotation layer providing to the collaboration session a convenience of variously viewing and discussing the work space by participants of the collaboration session, including marking the shared transparent annotation layer in different ways without actually modifying the work space itself; and

supporting enforcement of synchrony between any work space and the work space'"'"'s covering transparent annotation layer wherein, for any work space, when the work space and its covering transparent annotation layer are synchronized, scrolling the work space also scrolls the transparent annotation layer and vice versa, expanding the work space by adding data to the work space also expands the transparent annotation layer in corresponding regions, and contracting the work space by deleting data from it also contracts the transparent annotation layer by truncating corresponding regions.

14. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 13, wherein the user interface provides a standardized way of viewing, discussing, marking, and expertly modifying any work space in a real-time collaboration, allowing a participant to easily direct and/or participate in any real-time collaboration session without having expert knowledge of how to manipulate and/or modify a session specific shared work space while still allowing a participant with expert knowledge to continue to manipulate and/or modify the session specific shared work space.

15. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 13, further comprising the step of

providing participants an option of choosing and changing a mode of operation during a collaborative session between a discussion mode and an edit mode, in the discussion mode only the annotation layer is directly manipulated and/or modified while in the edit mode, only the work space is directly manipulated and/or modified.

16. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 15, wherein the step of providing participants the option of choosing and changing mode supports the specification of choice and change of mode by any participant.

17. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 15, wherein the step of providing participants the option of choosing and changing mode supports the control of mode of some participants by other participants.

18. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 17, wherein the step of providing participants the option of choosing and changing mode allows participants to change the mode and restrict a set of modes available to other participants.

19. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 15, wherein the step of providing participants the option of choosing and changing mode supports changing a set of participants with authorization to control the mode of other participants.

20. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 19, wherein controlling the mode of a participant controls read/write permission of the participant, any participant who has been granted edit mode can write to the work space while any participant who has been restricted to the discussion mode can at most only read the work space.

21. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 13, wherein in the discussion mode, the work space underneath the transparent annotation layer optionally remains visible, and wherein in the edit mode, the transparent annotation layer overlying the work space optionally remains visible.

22. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 13, wherein synchrony between any work space and its covering transparent annotation layer is based on a comparison of images of the work space and the transparent annotation layer.

23. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 13, wherein the transparent annotation layer is based on a client portion of a real-time collaboration system for whiteboard-like work spaces.

24. A method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system implemented on computers connected in a network, comprising:

providing as a user interface a shared transparent annotation layer built in the real-time collaboration system, the shared transparent annotation layer being placed between each participant and a shared work space, the shared transparent annotation layer overlying the work space so that each participant can view the work space through the shared transparent annotation layer, the real-time collaboration system augmented with the user interface continuing to support every work space that it could previously support, the shared transparent annotation layer providing to the collaboration session a convenience of variously viewing and discussing the work space by participants of the collaboration session, including marking the shared transparent annotation layer in different ways without actually modifying the work space itself; and

supporting enforcement of asynchrony between any work space and the work space'"'"'s covering transparent annotation layer, wherein for any work space, when the work space and its covering transparent annotation layer are left unsynchronized, scrolling the work space does not scroll the annotation layer, scrolling the annotation layer does not scroll the work space, and modifying the work space does not correspondingly modify the annotation layer.

25. The method of augmenting a real-time collaboration system of claim 24, wherein asynchrony between a work space and its covering transparent annotation layer allows the transparent annotation layer to serve as a static filter through which the entire work space or a portion of the work space can be seen.

26. A graphical user interface implemented on a first computer connected, via a network, to a second computer within a collaboration system, comprising:

an annotation layer overlying a work space, said annotation layer being at least partially transparent to allow viewing of at least a portion of the work space;

control means for switching between a discussion mode and an edit mode, wherein in the discussion mode only the annotation layer is modified with input data and in the edit mode only the work space is modified with input data;

means for synchronizing said annotation layer to said work space; and

means for sending said input data entered by a user at said first computer in at least said discussion mode to said second computer, and for receiving input data entered by a user at said second computer in at least said discussion mode, said sending and receiving means allowing at least said annotation layer to be shared between said first and second computers in real-time.

27. The graphical user interface of claim 26, wherein said synchronizing means performs at least one of the following:

coordinates scrolling said work space with said annotation layer, coordinates expanding said work space to receive data additions with expansion of said annotation layer, and coordinates contracting said work space by deleting data with contractions of said transparent annotation layer.