Apparatus and method for locking or prohibiting access to designated object displayed on shared electronic whiteboard

• US 6,624,827 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2000
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dae-Joon Hwang
• Original Assignee: Dae-Joon Hwang
• Inventors: Lee, Jeong-Woo, Hwang, Dae-Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Thanh T
• Application Number:
  US09/633,259
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 345/743, 345/753, 345/751, 345/752, 345/758, 709/107, 709/108, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2343 Locking methods, e.g. distributed locking or locking implementation details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1881 with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A method for locking or prohibiting an access to at least one object in an electronic conferencing system, includes the steps of: a) initiating an electronic conference in the conference initiator system having an electronic whiteboard, the electronic whiteboard containing at least one object; b) participating conference participant systems in the electronic conference, thereby sharing the electronic whiteboard with the conference initiator system; c) sending a lock request corresponding to the object from a conference participant system to the conference initiator system in order to obtain the priority over the access to the object corresponding to the lock request from the conference initiator system or prohibit the access to the object performed by another conference participant system not having the priority; and d) giving a priority over an access to the object to the conference participant system according to a sequence of lock requests in response to the lock request.

Claims

1. An apparatus for locking or prohibiting an access to at least one object, comprising:

a conference initiator having an electronic whiteboard that initiates an electronic conference, the electronic whiteboard containing at least one object, wherein said conference initiator gives a priority over an access to the object according to a sequence of lock requests; and

a plurality of conference participators that participate in the electronic conference, thereby sharing the electronic whiteboard with said conference initiator, wherein one of said conference participators sends a lock request corresponding to the object to said conference initiator in order to obtain priority over the access to the object corresponding to the lock request from said conference initiator or prohibit access to the object performed by said conference participator not having priority, wherein said conference initiator includes;

a user interface that interfaces with a user operating said conference initiator to receive a user request from the user;

an electronic whiteboard that includes at least one object;

an object generator that generates the object on said electronic whiteboard in response to the user request;

a packet analyzer that analyzes packets received from said conference participator to determine whether the received packets are a lock request packet, wherein each packet has packet-transmission time information;

an object manager that manages information relating to the object and changing the information relating to the object corresponding to a packet if the packet is determined to not be a lock request packet;

a command sequence controller that determines whether there is another lock request packet corresponding to the object, said command sequence controller comparing the packet-transmission time information contained in the lock request packet with the packet-transmission time information contained in another lock request packet when there is another lock request packet; and

a packet generator that generates a lock command packet to send a lock command packet to all said conference participators, said packet generator generating a lock release command packet to send the lock release command packet to said conference participator, which has sent the lock request packet having an early packet-transmission time information to said conference initiator, to give priority over the access to the object corresponding to the lock request packet or prohibiting the access to the object performed by said conference participator not having the priority.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said electronic whiteboard includes a plurality of whiteboard pages, wherein each electronic whiteboard page of said plurality of whiteboard pages includes at least one object.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the object includes a graphic object and a text object.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a construction of said conference initiator is substantially the same as that of said conference participator.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said user interface further receives the lock request as the user request from the user.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said object manager further determines whether the object corresponding to the lock request from the user exists on said electronic whiteboard, said object manager designating the object corresponding to the lock request if the object corresponding to the lock request from the user exists on said electronic whiteboard.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said command sequence controller further determines whether there is another lock request corresponding to the designated object, said command sequence controller comparing request-time information contained in the lock request with that contained in another lock request when there is another lock request corresponding to the designated object.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said packet generator further generates the lock command packet when another lock request does not correspond to the designated object.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a communicator that sends the lock command packet to all conference participators to lock or prohibit the access to the designated object performed by the conference participators.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said conference initiator and said conference participator are implemented as a personal computer.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each conference participator includes:

a second user interface that interfaces with a user operating said conference participator to receive the lock request as the user request from the user;

a second object generator that generates the object on said electronic whiteboard in response to the user request;

a lock state determiner that determines whether the object has been locked;

a second packet generator that generates the lock request packet to send the lock request packet to said conference initiator when the object has been locked; and

a second communicator that sends the lock request packet to said conference initiator.

12. An electronic conferencing system for locking or prohibiting an access to at least one object, comprising:

a conference initiator having an electronic whiteboard that initiates an electronic conference, the electronic whiteboard containing at least one object, wherein said conference initiator gives priority over an access to the object according to a sequence of lock requests; and

a plurality of conference participators that participate in the electronic conference, sharing the electronic whiteboard with said conference initiator, wherein one of said conference participators sends a lock request corresponding to the object to said conference initiator to obtain priority over the access to the object corresponding to the lock request from said conference initiator or prohibit access to the object performed by said conference participators not having priority, wherein said conference initiator includes;

a user interface that interfaces with a user operating said conference initiator to receive a user request from the user;

an electronic, whiteboard that includes at least one object;

an object generator that generates the object on said electronic whiteboard in response to the user request;

a packet analyzer that analyzes packets received from said conference participator to determine whether the packets are a lock request packet, wherein each packet has packet-transmission time information;

an object manager that manages information relating to the object and changes the information relating to the object corresponding to a packet when the packet is not the lock request packet;

a command sequence controller that determines whether there is another lock request packet corresponding to the object, said command sequence controller comparing the packet-transmission time information contained in the lock request packet with the packet-transmission time information contained in another lock request packet when there is another lock request packet; and

a packet generator that generates a lock command packet to send the lock command packet to all said conference participators, said packet generator generating a lock release command packet to send the lock release command packet to said conference participator, which has sent the lock request packet having an early packet-transmission time information to said conference initiator, giving priority over the access to the object corresponding to the lock request packet or prohibiting the access to the object performed by said conference participator not having the priority.

13. The electronic conferencing system as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

a resource allocation means coupled to said conference initiator means and said conference participant means for allocating available conference resources to said conference initiator means and said conference participant means necessary for the electronic conference.

14. The electronic conferencing system of claim 12, wherein said electronic whiteboard includes a plurality of whiteboard pages, wherein each whiteboard page of said electronic whiteboard pages includes at least one object.

15. The electronic conferencing system as recited in claim 14, wherein the object includes a graphic object and a text object.

16. The electronic conferencing system of claim 15, wherein the object includes a graphic object and a text object.

17. The electronic conferencing system of claim 16, wherein said user interface further receives the lock request as the user request from the user.

18. The electronic conferencing system of claim 17, wherein said object manager further determines whether the object corresponding to the lock request from the user exists on said electronic whiteboard, said object manager designating the object corresponding to the lock request when the object corresponding to the lock request from the user exists on said electronic whiteboard.

19. The electronic conferencing system of claim 18, wherein said command sequence controller further determines whether there is another lock request corresponding to the designated object, said command sequence controller comparing request-time information contained in the lock request with that contained in another lock request when there is another lock request corresponding to the designated object.

20. The-electronic conferencing system of claim 19, wherein said packet generator further generates the lock command packet when there is not another lock request corresponding to the designated object.

21. The electronic conferencing system of claim 20, further comprising:

a communicator that sends the lock command packet to said conference participator, thereby locking or prohibiting the access to the designated object performed by the said conference participator.

22. The electronic conferencing system of claim 21, wherein said conference initiator and said conference participator are implemented as a personal computer.

23. The electronic conferencing system of claim 22, wherein each conference participator includes:

a second user interface that interfaces with a user operating said conference participator to receive the lock request as the user request from the user;

a second object generator that generates the object on said electronic whiteboard in response to the user request;

a lock state determiner that determines whether the object has been locked;

a second packet generator that generates the lock request packet to send the lock request packet to said conference initiator when the object has been locked; and

a second communicator that sends the lock request packet to said conference initiator.

24. A method for locking or prohibiting an access to at least one object in an electronic conferencing system, comprising:

initiating an electronic conference in the conference initiator system having an electronic whiteboard, the electronic whiteboard containing at least one object;

participating conference participant systems in the electronic conference, thereby sharing the electronic whiteboard with the conference initiator system;

sending a lock request corresponding to the object from a conference participant system to the conference initiator system in order to obtain priority over the access to the object corresponding to the lock request from the conference initiator system or prohibit the access to the object performed by another conference participant system not having priority; and

giving priority over an access to the object to the conference participant system according to a sequence of lock requests in response to the lock request, wherein giving priority over an access to the object comprises;

analyzing packets received from the conference participant systems, thereby determining whether the packets are a lock request packet, respectively, wherein each of packets has packet-transmission time information;

changing information relating to the object corresponding to the packet when a packet is not the lock request packet;

determining whether there is another lock request packet corresponding to the object;

comparing the packet-transmission time information contained in the lock request packet with the packet-transmission time information contained in the another lock request packet when there is another lock request packet;

generating a lock command packet to send the lock command packet to all the conference participant systems; and

generating a lock release command packet to send the lock release command packet to the conference participant system, which has sent the lock request packet having an early packet-transmission time information to the conference initiator system, thereby giving priority over the access to the object corresponding to the lock request packet or prohibiting the access to the object performed by another conference participant system not having the priority.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

allocating available conference resources to the conference initiator system and the conference participant systems necessary for an electronic conference.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein sending a lock request comprises:

receiving the lock request as a user request from a user operating the conference participant system;

generating the object on the electronic whiteboard in response to the user request;

determining whether the object has been locked;

generating the lock request packet to send the lock request packet to the conference initiator system when the object has been locked; and

sending the lock request packet to the conference initiator system.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving the lock request as the user request from a user operating the conference initiator system;

determining whether the object corresponding to the lock request from the user exists on the electronic whiteboard;

designating the object corresponding to the lock request when the object corresponding to the lock request from the user exists on said electronic whiteboard;

determining whether there is another lock request corresponding to the designated object;

comparing request-time information contained in the lock request with that contained in another lock request when there is another lock request corresponding to the designated object;

generating the lock command packet when there is not another lock request corresponding to the designated object; and

sending the lock command packet to all conference participant systems to lock or prohibit access to the designated object performed by the all the conference participant systems.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the electronic whiteboard includes a plurality of whiteboard pages, each whiteboard page of the electronic whiteboard pages including at least one object.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the object includes a graphic object and a text object.

30. A computer-readable media that stores program instructions, the program instructions being disposed on a computer to perform a method for locking or prohibiting an access to at least one object in an electronic conferencing system, comprising:

initiating an electronic conference in the conference initiator system having an electronic whiteboard, the electronic whiteboard containing at least one object;

participating conference participant systems in the electronic conference, thereby sharing the electronic whiteboard with the conference initiator system;

sending a lock request corresponding to the object from a conference participant system to the conference initiator system in order to obtain priority over the access to the object corresponding to the lock request from the conference initiator system or prohibit the access to the object performed by another conference participant system not having the priority; and

giving priority over an access to the object to the conference participant system according to a sequence of lock requests in response to the lock request, wherein said giving priority over an access comprises;

analyzing packets received from the conference participant systems to determine whether the packets are a lock request packet, wherein each packet has packet-transmission time information;

changing information relating to the object corresponding to the packet when a packet is not the lock request packet;

determining whether there is another lock request packet corresponding to the object;

comparing the packet-transmission time information contained in the lock request packet with that contained in the another lock request packet when there is another lock request packet;

generating a lock command packet to send the lock command packet to all conference participant systems; and

generating a lock release command packet to send the lock release command packet to the conference participant system, which has sent the lock request packet having an early packet-transmission time information to the conference initiator system, giving priority over the access to the object corresponding to the lock request packet or prohibiting the access to the object performed by another conference participant system not having the priority.

31. The computer-readable media of claim 30, further comprising:

allocating available conference resources to the conference initiator system and the conference participant systems necessary for an electronic conference.

32. The computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein sending a lock request comprises:

receiving the lock request as a user request from a user operating the conference participant system;

generating the object on the electronic whiteboard in response to the user request;

determining whether the object has been locked;

generating the lock request packet to send the lock request packet to the conference initiator system when the object has been locked; and

sending the lock request packet to the conference initiator system.

33. The computer-readable media of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving the lock request as the user request from a user operating the conference initiator system;

determining whether the object corresponding to the lock request from the user exists on the electronic whiteboard;

designating the object corresponding to the lock request when the object corresponding to the lock request from the user exists on said electronic whiteboard;

determining whether there is another lock request corresponding to the designated object;

comparing request-time information contained in the lock request with that contained in another lock request when another lock request corresponds to the designated object;

generating the lock command packet when there is not another lock request corresponding to the designated object; and

sending the lock command packet to all conference participant systems to lock or prohibit the access to the designated object performed by all the conference participant systems.