Interactive communication system permitting increased collaboration between users

• US 6,463,460 B1
• Filed: 04/23/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navy The United Stated of America As Represented By The Secretary of The
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Simonoff, Adam J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/296,802
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/205, 345/335
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A White Board system permitting a plurality of users to collaborate with one another irrespective of the respective user'"'"'s hardware platform or operating system includes a server computer, and a plurality of client computers electrically coupled to the server computer. Preferably, each of the client computers logs into the server computer and is thereby assigned a unique identifier, each of the client computers includes a graphical user interface (GUI) which selectively displays any combination of objects having active content, active hyperlinks, and text, and each of the client computers transmits user-generated objects to the server computer for storage and selective retransmission to the computers. Additionally, the server stores all user-generated objects from all the client computers and selectively controls transmission of all user-generated objects to respective ones of the computers responsive to the respective assigned identifier.

Claims

1. A White Board system permitting a plurality of users to collaborate with one another irrespective of the respective user'"'"'s hardware platform or operating system, comprising:

a server computer; and

a plurality of client computers coupled to said server computer;

wherein;

each of said client computers logs into said server computer and is thereby assigned a unique identifier;

each of said client computers includes a graphical user interface (GUI) which selectively displays any combination of objects having active content, active hyperlinks, and text;

each of said client computers transmits user-generated objects to said server computer for storage and selective retransmission to said client computers;

said server stores all user-generated objects from all said client computers;

said server selectively controls transmission of all user-generated objects to respective ones of said computers responsive to the respective assigned identifier.

2. The White Board system as recited in claim 1, wherein said server computer and said client computers are electrically coupled to one another via a local area network (LAN).

3. The White Board system as recited in claim 1, wherein said server computer runs a Web Server and wherein each of said client computers runs a Web browser client.

4. The White Board system as recited in claim 1, wherein said server computer runs a Web Server distributing both a web page including a White Board client applet tag and the White Board client applet and wherein each of said client computers runs a Web browser client which automatically executes said White Board client applet when the White Board client applet has been transferred from said server computer.

5. A White Board system permitting a plurality of users to collaborate with one another irrespective of the respective user'"'"'s hardware platform or operating system, comprising:

a primary server computer; and

a plurality of client computers coupled to said primary server computer, each of said client computer having a respective privilege level and each of said client computers being operatively connected to said primary server computer;

wherein;

each of said client computers transmits user-generated objects to said primary server computer;

said primary server stores all of said user-generated objects transmitted from said client computers; and

said primary server selectively transmits said user-generated objects to respective ones of said computers responsive to the respective privilege level.

6. The White Board system as recited in claim 5, further comprising a secondary server computer, wherein all of said client computers disconnect from said primary server computer and reconnect to said secondary server computer when said primary server computer is unavailable.

7. The White Board system as recited in claim 5, wherein each of said client computers has a respective privilege level and a respective group association, and wherein said primary server selectively transmits said user-generated objects to respective ones of said computers responsive to the respective privilege level and the respective group association.

8. The White Board system as recited in claim 5, wherein said primary server computer further comprises memory which stores files one of uploaded from and downloaded to at least one of said client computers.

9. The White Board system as recited in claim 5, wherein each of said client computers display a predetermined graphical user interface (GUI).

10. The White Board system as recited in claim 5, wherein said primary server computer is operatively connected to and object source providing a predetermined object and wherein said primary sever computer selectively transmits said predetermined object to said client computers responsive to the respective privilege level.

11. The White Board system as recited in claim 10, wherein said predetermined object varies over time.

12. The White Board system as recited in claim 5, wherein said primary server multicasts said user-generated objects to all of said computers when the respective privilege level of all of said client computers are identical.

13. A White Board system permitting a plurality of users to collaborate with one another irrespective of the respective user'"'"'s hardware platform or operating system, comprising:

a first client computer which instantiates first objects having a first privilege level;

a second client computer which instantiates second objects having a second privilege level; and

a server computer operatively coupling said first and said second computers, said server computer comprising;

a memory for storing all of said first and said second objects; and

a filter which selectively relays said first and said second objects between said second and said first client computers, respectively, responsive to said first and said second privilege levels.

14. The White Board system as recited in claim 13, wherein each of said first and said second computers includes a display which displays relayed ones of said first and said second objects.

15. The White Board system as recited in claim 13, wherein said memory stores said first and said second objects based on time of receipt of said first and said second objects.

16. The White Board system as recited in claim 13, wherein one of said first and said second objects comprises an active hyperlink.

17. The White Board server as recited in claim 13, wherein said server computer receives a series of objects representing a moving object and relays said series of object to said first and said second client computers.

18. The White Board system as recited in claim 13, wherein said series of objects is not stored in said memory and wherein said series of object does not pass through said filter.

19. The White Board system as recited in claim 13, wherein:

said first objects have a first privilege level and a first identifier;

said second objects have said second privilege level and a second identifier;

said filter is a first filter; and

said server computer further comprises a second filter which selectively relays said first and said second objects between said second and said first client computers, respectively, responsive to said first and said second identifiers.

20. The White Board system as recited in claim 13, wherein each of said first and said second client computers further comprises a tool for modifying a user-selected one of said first and said second objects residing on the respective client computer.