Systems and methods for whiteboard collaboration and annotation

• US 8,271,887 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2008
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Offer, Brad W., White, Russell W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US12/175,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 715/733, 715/751, 715/753, 715/760, 715/764, 715/765, 715/781, 715/205, 715/230, 715/234, 709/201, 709/204, 709/213, 709216-219
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing

Abstract

A method for conducting a collaborative web-based whiteboard session, including receiving one or more whiteboard annotations in first units in a first client application component, converting the one or more whiteboard annotations from the first units into second units by utilizing a software component associated with the first client application component, sending the one or more whiteboard annotations, in the second units, to a second client application component, converting the one or more whiteboard annotations received from the first client application component from the second units into coordinates specific to the second client application component, and presenting the one or more whiteboard annotations using the coordinates specific to the second client application component to a user through the second client application component.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a collaborative web-based whiteboard session, comprising:

receiving one or more annotations in first units, the one or more annotations being made within a first client application component;

converting the one or more annotations from the first units into second units by utilizing a software component associated with the first client application component;

sending, by a white board application that is separate from the first client application, the one or more annotations, in the second units, to a second client application component;

converting the one or more annotations received from the first client application component from the second units into coordinates specific to the second client application component; and

presenting the one or more annotations using the coordinates specific to the second client application component to a user through the second client application component.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending an annotation type, action and/or property from the first client application component to the second client application component.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the annotation type, action, and/or property is one of a point, line, rectangle, freehand, color, line width, label text, font, edit, undo last, redo last, and clear all.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first units are display coordinates.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second units are logical units.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the logical units are latitude and longitude.

7. A system for conducting a collaborative web-based whiteboard session, the system comprising a first computer capable of communicating with other computers on a network:

the first computer comprising;

a first user interface;

a first client application component running thereon, the first client application component operable to receive one or more annotations via the first user interface, wherein the one or more annotations are in first units, and wherein the first client application component is operable to convert the one or more annotations into second units; and

a whiteboard application component that is separate from the first client application component, the whiteboard application component operable to send the one or more converted annotations to a second client application component, the second client application component operable to convert the one or more annotations received, from the second units into coordinates specific to the second client application component, the second client application component operable to present the one or more annotations using the coordinates specific to the second client application component to a user through the second client application component.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the first units are display coordinates.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the display coordinates are pixels.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the second units are logical units.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the logical units are latitude and longitude.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the first computer further comprises a first shared memory component operable to allow communication between the first client application component and the first whiteboard application.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the shared memory component is one of a pipe, socket, mailbox or system message.

14. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a second computer device comprising:

a second user interface; and

a second whiteboard application component associated with the second client application component operable to receive the one or more converted annotations.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising a second shared memory component operable to allow communication between the second client application component and the second whiteboard application associated with the second client application component.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the second shared memory component is one of a pipe, socket, mailbox or system message.

17. One or more non-transitory computer readable media comprising computer-readable instructions thereon that instruct one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

receiving one or more annotations in first units, the one or more annotations being made within a first client application component;

converting the one or more annotations from the first units into second units by utilizing a software component associated with the first client application component;

sending, by a white board application that is separate from the first client application component, the one or more annotations in the second units, to a second client application component;

converting the one or more annotations received from the first client application component from the second units into coordinates specific to the second client application component; and

presenting the one or more annotations using the coordinates specific to the second client application component to a user through the second client application component.