System for collaboration of a specific image and utilizing selected annotations while viewing and relative to providing a display presentation

• US 8,806,352 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collaboration Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: David H Sitrick
• Inventors: Sitrick, David H., Fling, Russell T.
• Primary Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US13/102,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 715/753, 715/741, 715/764, 715/751, 715/762, 715/763, 715/765, 715/853
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system and methodology for collaborating. The system is comprised of a plurality of computing appliances, each of the computing appliances having an input apparatus providing for a respective user input of and storage of annotations input relative to and while viewing a display presentation of a specific image and each of the computing appliances having a display apparatus providing a display presentation of a specific image to be viewed by an associated respective user of the plurality of users. Logic controls communication and utilization of selected annotations in providing a display presentation. At least two of the plurality of computing appliances have input apparatus each providing annotation data responsive to the associated respective user input of annotations using the input apparatus. Memory provides associative storage of the annotation data as mapped relative to the associated respective user of the respective computing appliance providing the respective user input. For at least two of said plurality of computing appliances, the input apparatus provides for input of the annotations while the display presentation of the respective said display apparatus provides the specific image presented for viewing by the respective user while the annotations are being made by that said respective user.

Claims

1. A system for use by a plurality of users, each of the users having an input apparatus for providing an input of data, the system comprising:

display logic providing a display presentation on a display of an image for viewing by a plurality of the users;

input logic permitting concurrent input by at least two of the users, while providing the display presentation to each said user of the display of the image relative to which the input is made by each said user to each generate respective data;

index logic associating said respective data for each said user providing the input;

memory providing non-transitory storage of the data from each said respective user in a respective separate data layer from a plurality of data layers, responsive to the index logic;

storage logic, responsive to the index logic and the input logic, for controlling storage to and retrieval of the data from the respective said data layer in the memory that is associated with the respective said user;

selection logic providing a selection of selected users from the plurality of users; and

wherein the display logic provides an updated said display presentation representative of the input generated by the selected users, provided responsive to the data retrieved from the data layers associated with the selected users.

2. The system as in claim 1,

team selection logic associating of at least four of the plurality of users to be members of a same primary team, and associating each of at least two of the members of the primary team to be members of a secondary team;

primary control logic providing a first team display presentation of the image combined with a first display presentation generated responsive to the data associated with at least one of said members of the primary team, wherein said first team display presentation is provided on the display apparatus of each of at least two of said members of said primary team;

secondary display control logic providing a second display presentation comprised of the image combined with a display presentation generated responsive to the data associated with at least one of said members of the secondary team, wherein said second display presentation is provided on the display apparatus of each of at least two of the members of said secondary team.

3. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

group logic for associating a plurality of the users into an associated grouping;

display mapping logic, responsive to the index logic, for selecting the data layers associated with the plurality of the users in the associated grouping as selected data layers;

wherein the display logic is responsive to the display mapping logic to provide a display presentation of the display image of annotations generated by the users in the associated grouping, responsive to the data retrieved from the respective said data layers associated with the users in the associated grouping.

4. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

first group logic for associating a first plurality of the users into a first associated grouping;

second group logic for associating a second plurality of the users into a second associated grouping;

display mapping logic, responsive to the index logic, for selecting the data layers associated with the plurality of the users in the first associated grouping as first selected data layers, and wherein the display mapping logic, responsive to the index logic, provides for selecting the data layers associated with the plurality of the users in the second associated grouping as second selected data layers;

wherein the display logic provides a first display presentation of a display image generated responsive to the data retrieved from the respective said first selected data layers;

wherein the display logic provides a second display presentation of a display image generated responsive to the data retrieved from the respective said second selected data layers.

5. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

communications control logic controlling communication of the data between the plurality of computing appliances of the selected users; and

wherein the display logic controls selection the data associated with the selected users to be used in generating said display presentation.

6. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the display logic provides an initial video presentation

the system further comprising:

control logic for activating a collaboration mode at a first time,

wherein is comprised of;

logic for capturing and storing in the memory, at the defined time, at least a portion of the video presentation, responsive to the collaboration mode, to provide the image for viewing by at least two of the selected users,

wherein the input logic permits concurrent input by at least two of the users, while providing the display presentation to each said user of the display of the image relative to which the input is made by each said user to each generate the respective data; and

,

wherein the display logic provides the updated said display presentation representative of the input generated by the selected users, provided responsive to the data retrieved from the data layers for the data that is associated with the selected users.

7. The system as in claim 6,

wherein the activating the collaboration mode in the video presentation is comprised of freezing display of the video presentation during at least a part of said collaboration mode, and providing collaboration during freeze of the video presentation, and thereafter using the data to generate a new display presentation comprised of the video presentation as frozen and the respective data input during the collaboration mode.

8. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

facilitator logic controlling communication of the data retrieved from the data layers associated with at least one of the selected users between at least two of the selected users, and

wherein the display logic provides a display presentation responsive to said communication of the data retrieved from the data layers associated with the selected users.

9. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

team logic associating each of at least two of the users as members of a team; and

wherein the index logic is responsive to the team logic to associated area of the memory associate data from each member of the team with the same data layer.

10. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

annotation selection logic selecting a part of the data associated with the selected users, to be selected data;

wherein the display logic is responsive to said selected data to provide the display presentation to at least two of the selected users.

11. The system as in claim 10,

wherein the input logic permits said concurrent input while each of the members is provided with a display of an image relative to which the input is made by each said user.

12. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the display presentation is comprised of a video presentation;

the system further comprising;

control logic

for;

capturing and saving, at a defined time during the video presentation, background image data for a respective background image from the video presentation;

selectively enabling each of at least two of said users, to each view the background image;

selectively enabling at least one of the at least two of said users, to provide the input of the data having an associated image that appears in the updated said display presentation at a location relative to the background image as input by said user;

generating respective user annotation data responsive to the respective user input and representative of a presentation of the respective annotations; and

,

generating a combined collaborative display presentation of the user annotations displayed as layered atop of the background image in the display;

wherein the updated said display presentation is provided for viewing to said at least two of the users.

13. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

sub-group logic for associating a plurality of the users to be members of an associated sub-grouping;

sub-group display mapping logic, responsive to the index logic, for selecting the data layers associated with the plurality of the users in the associated sub-grouping, as selected sub-group data layers;

wherein the display logic provides a display presentation of the display image of annotations generated responsive to the data retrieved from the respective said selected sub-group data layers.

14. The system as in claim 1,

wherein each of the users has a display apparatus providing the display presentation thereto;

the system further comprising;

team selection logic associating at least two of the users to be members of a team; and

control logic providing a same display presentation on the display apparatus of the said members of said team.

15. The system as in claim 14,

wherein the team selection logic associates at least two of the plurality of users to the first team, each as a first team member;

wherein the team selection logic associates at least two of the plurality of users to the second team, each as a second team member;

wherein the control logic provides a first display presentation at the display apparatus of each said first team member, showing the display presentation of the image combined with a display presentation generated responsive to the data associated with at least one respective said first team member, and,

wherein the control logic coordinates a second display presentation at the display apparatus of each said second team member, showing the display presentation of the image combined with a display presentation generated responsive to the data associated with at least one respective said second team member.

16. The system as in claim 14,

wherein the same said display presentation is comprised of the display presentation of the image combined with a display presentation generated responsive to the data associated with at least one of said member.

17. The system as in claim 14, further comprising:

wherein the data is further comprised of annotation data for providing a display presentation of input annotations as input.

18. The system as in claim 14, further comprising:

communication selection logic, for each of the members, for controlling which of said data is communicated to which other of the members.

19. The system as in claim 14,

wherein the team selection logic assigns at least three of the plurality of users to be members of said team;

wherein each one of the members is assigned to and associated with at least one said sub-team from at least two said sub-teams;

wherein each said sub-team is comprised of at least two said members;

wherein a plurality of separate display presentations are provided at the display apparatus of at least one of said members of each said sub-team;

wherein a first one of the separate display presentations is comprised of the image combined with a display generated responsive to the data associated with the input by at least one of said members;

and

wherein an other of the separate display presentations is comprised of the display presentation of the image combined with a display presentation generated responsive to the data associated with the members of the said sub-team associated with the member for which the display presentation is being provided.

20. The system as in claim 19,

wherein selected parts of the data from at least one said member of a first said sub-team is separately communicated to at least one said member from a second said sub-team for display of said selected parts of the data upon the display apparatus of said at least one said member from said second sub-team.

21. The system as in claim 14,

wherein there are a plurality of separate teams created by the team selection logic;

wherein the team selection logic assigns at least two of the plurality of users to be members of a first separate team;

wherein the team selection logic assigns at least two of the plurality of users to be members of a second separate team;

wherein the control logic provides for concurrent display presentation on the display apparatus of each of at least two of the users that are the members of the first separate team, of the image combined with a display of the input made by at least one said user that is a said member of said first separate team;

wherein said concurrent display presentation is provided on the display apparatus of each of at least two of the users that are said members of said first separate team;

wherein the control logic provides for concurrent display presentation to the members of the second separate team, of the specific image combined with the annotations as input by at least one of said members for said second separate team;

wherein said concurrent display presentation is provided on the display apparatus of each of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances that are said members of said second separate team.

22. A method for use by a plurality of users, each of the users having an input apparatus for providing an input of user generated data, the method comprising:

permitting concurrent input by multiple of the users, to generate data, input while viewing a display presentation to each said user of the common image relative to which the input is made by each said user to each generate said data;

associating said data for each said input of said data to be associated with said user providing the input;

providing non-transitory storage in memory of the data from each said user in a respective separate data layer from a plurality of data layers, responsive to the associating said data;

associating each said data layer with one said user, as an index for storage and retrieval of the data as input by the one said user;

providing storage to and retrieval of the data associated with each said user from the data layer in the memory that is associated with said user, responsive to said index;

selecting selected users from the plurality of users; and

,

providing a display presentation of a display image provided responsive to the data retrieved from the data layers associated with the selected users.

23. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

assigning at least two of the users as members of an associated team;

assigning each said member a respective role designation; and

controlling operations of each said respective user to selectively permit input of the data by the member responsive to the respective role designation assigned to said member.

24. The method as in claim 23, further comprising:

selecting which of the data is communicated between which of the members, responsive to the respective role designation assigned to each said member.

25. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

selecting respective ones of the members as selected members, responsive to the respective role designation assigned to said members; and

generating the display presentation for viewing by at least one of the members responsive to at least a part of the data associated with the selected members.

26. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

assigning at least two of the plurality of users as members of a first team;

assigning at least two of the plurality of users as members of a second team;

selectively storing the data as representative of images of annotations as input by the members of the first team, in a first said data layer;

selectively storing the data as representative of images of annotations as input by the members of the second team, in a second said data layer;

generating the display presentation to be comprised of a split-screen presentation comprising a first display presentation responsive to at least a part of the data from the first said data layer, and a second image responsive to at least a part of the data from the second said data layer.

27. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

assigning at least four of the users as members of a same team;

assigning each said member a respective role designation; and

controlling operations of each said respective users to selectively permit input of the data by the member responsive to the respective role designation assigned to said member;

assigning at least two of the members of the same team to also be members of a first sub-team;

providing to each of the users that are members of the same team, a same said display presentation responsive to at least a part of said data provided by at least one other said user on the same team; and

,

providing to each of the members of the first sub-team, an additional said display presentation responsive to at least a part of said the data provided by at least one said user on the first sub-team.

28. The method as in claim 27, further comprising:

assigning each one of at least two other of the members of the same team to also be members of a second sub-team; and

providing to each of the members of the second sub-team, another said display presentation responsive to at least a part of said data provided by at least one said user which is on the second sub-team.

29. A system for collaboration among a plurality of users, the system comprising:

a plurality of computing appliances, each said computing appliance associated with a respective said user, and each said computing appliance having a respective display apparatus, wherein at least two of the computing appliances have a respective user input apparatus and also have a respective memory providing non-transitory storage;

display generation logic displaying an image on the display apparatus at each of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances;

wherein the system permits concurrent input by at least two of the users via the user input apparatus to generate data responsive to annotations made while the display apparatus is showing the respective user the display presentation of the image;

storage logic storing the data for the respective annotations in a respective layer of storage in the memory that is associated with the user providing the input;

team logic associating at least two of the users as selected users that as are members of a same team;

communication logic controlling communication of the data between respective said associated computing appliances that are members of the same team;

display selection logic selecting which of the users are selected users, and selecting the data for the selected users as selected data; and

wherein the display generation logic provides generation of a combined display presentation on the display apparatus of at least two said members of the same team comprising the image and the annotations corresponding to the selected data responsive to the display selection logic.

30. The system as in claim 29, further comprising:

team selection logic assigning at least two of the plurality of computing appliances as members of a first team, and assigning at least two other of the plurality of computing appliances as members of a second team;

wherein the storage logic selectively stores annotation data representative of images of input annotations by the members of the first team in a first storage layer of the memory, and selectively stores annotation data representative of images of input annotations as input by the members of the second team in a second storage layer of the memory;

wherein the display generation logic provides generation of the combined display presentation comprising a first image comprised of the image combined with the image of the annotations from the first storage layer of the memory, and a second image comprised of the image combined with the image of the annotations from the second storage layer of the memory.

31. The system as in claim 29, further comprising:

team selection logic assigning at least four of the computing appliances as members of the same team;

wherein the team selection logic further assigns each one of at least two of the members of the same team to also be members of a first sub-team;

wherein the display generation logic provides generation of the combined display presentation on the display apparatus of at least two said members of the same team comprising the image combined with the display for the respective said annotations as provided by at least one other said computing appliance which is on the same team; and

,

wherein the display generation logic provides generation of the combined display presentation on the display apparatus of each of the members of the first sub-team, an additional said display presentation comprised of the display presentation of the image combined with the display presentation for the respective said annotations as provided by at least one other said computing appliance which is on the first sub-team.