Display resolution boundary

• US 8,004,540 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2006
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Allen, Tim, Munter, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier; Jeffery A
• Application Number:
  US11/545,989
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/2.2
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/02 Networking aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification

Abstract

A method is provided to retrieve a display resolution used by a computing device in an online conference. With the display resolution, a boundary associated with the display resolution is displayed. The boundary is configured to define a display area shown on the computing device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

retrieving a display resolution used by a remote computing device in an online conference;

wherein the remote computing device and a presenter computing device are both displaying conference content for said online conference;

displaying a boundary that represents the display resolution of the remote computing device, wherein the boundary is overlaid on the conference content and indicates a portion of the conference content visible on the presenter computing device and not visible on the remote computing device; and

wherein said retrieving and said displaying are performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a number of computing devices in the online conference using display resolutions greater than or equal to the display resolution of the remote computing device;

calculating an opacity that is inversely proportional to the determined number of computing devices;

setting an opacity of at least a portion of a display area within the boundary dependent on the calculated opacity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving an identifier associated with the remote computing device; and

displaying the identifier associated with the remote computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a number of computing devices in the online conference using the display resolution of the remote computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the display resolution of the remote computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the boundary comprises a plurality of line segments.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the boundary is displayed on another computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the boundary is displayed on a server computing device.

9. A computer readable memory or storage device storing computer instructions for:

retrieving a first display resolution used by a first computing device;

retrieving a second display resolution used by a second computing device; and

wherein both the first computing device and the second computing device are displaying shared content;

comparing the first display resolution to the second display resolution;

in response to determining that the second display resolution is higher than the first display resolution, displaying a boundary that represents the first display resolution on the second computing device, wherein the boundary indicates a portion of the shared content visible on the second computing device and not visible on the first computing device due to the lower display resolution of the first computing device; and

in response to determining that the second display resolution is equal to or lower than the first display resolution, not displaying the boundary.

10. The computer readable memory or storage device of claim 9, further storing computer instructions for:

determining a number of computing devices in an online conference using display resolutions greater than or equal to the first display resolution;

calculating an opacity that is inversely proportional to the determined number of computing devices;

setting an opacity of at least a portion of a display area within the boundary dependent on the calculated opacity.

11. The computer readable memory or storage device of claim 9, further storing computer instructions for:

providing a selection of the first display resolution; and

in response to selection of the first display resolution, changing the second display resolution used by the second computing device to the first display resolution.

12. A computer readable memory or storage device storing computer instructions for:

retrieving a plurality of display resolutions, wherein each display resolution is used by a respective one of a plurality of computing devices, and wherein each one of the plurality of computing devices is displaying shared content; and

displaying a plurality of boundaries on a same one of the plurality of computing devices, wherein each one of the plurality of boundaries represents a respective one of the plurality of display resolutions and indicates a portion of the shared content visible on the one of the plurality of computing devices and not visible on one or more other ones of the plurality of computing devices using the respective one of the plurality of display resolutions.

13. A computing device, comprising:

a memory configured to store a display resolution overlay application and an operating system; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor being configured to execute the operating system and the display resolution overlay application stored in the memory, the display resolution overlay application comprising program instructions for;

retrieving a first display resolution used by another computing device;

retrieving a second display resolution from the operating system;

displaying a boundary that represents the first display resolution, wherein the boundary provides a visual indication of a display area size shown on the another computing device;

determining a number of computing devices using display resolutions greater than or equal to the first display resolution;

calculating an opacity that is inversely proportional to the determined number of computing devices; and

setting an opacity of at least a portion of a display area within the boundary dependent on the calculated opacity.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the boundary is displayed if the first display resolution is lower than the second display resolution.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the display resolution overlay application further comprises program instructions for:

providing a selection of the first display resolution; and

in response to selection of the first display resolution, changing the second display resolution to the first display resolution.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the boundary comprises a plurality of line segments.

17. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the computing device and the another computing device are associated with an online conference.

18. A computer readable memory or storage device storing computer instructions to implement a graphical user interface (GUI), comprising:

a user selectable first region configured to display a value of a first display resolution, wherein, in response to a selection of the first region, the computer instructions are configured to change a current display resolution to the first display resolution; and

a user selectable second region configured to display a value corresponding to a number of computing devices in an online conference using the first display resolution, wherein, in response to a selection of the second region, the computer instructions are configured to generate a third region, wherein the third region displays one or more identifiers, wherein each of the one or more identifiers is displayed as data which identifies a corresponding one of the computing devices in the online conference.

19. The computer readable memory or storage device of claim 18, wherein the first and second regions are displayed along with a boundary that represents the first display resolution.