Systems and methodologies providing for collaboration by respective users of a plurality of computing appliances working concurrently on a common project having an associated display

• US 8,918,721 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• 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:
  US13/102,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 715/738, 715/751, 715/753, 715/758
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

A system and methodology for collaborating. A plurality of computing appliances for use by a respective plurality of users, provides a combined display presentation of collaboration responsive to input of annotations made by at least two of the users working simultaneously on a common project having an associated common display presentation comprising a base image display combined with a display of the annotations as made by the at least two of the users. The system is comprised of layer storage comprising a plurality of separate respective data layers, providing associatively mapped storage of respective user data wherein each said data layer is associated with a respective user. Each said data layer of storage stores respective user data that is used to generate a respective display of respective user annotations as input by the respective user, as made relative to a display presentation of the base image display. Display control logic provides individualized selective control of utilization of each said separate respective data layer, as selected layers that are utilized in generation of a combined display presentation. The display control logic provides generation of the combined display presentation showing the collaboration of the respective ones of the users responsive to utilizing the respective ones of the selected data layers. In one embodiment, the system is further comprised of communication apparatus providing voice (and/or video) communication between each of at least two of the plurality of users, during the providing of the respective combined display presentation to said each of said at least two of the plurality of users, and the input of annotations by the users.

Claims

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

a plurality of computing appliances, each of the computing appliances having a local display apparatus, and an input apparatus;

display logic providing a local display presentation on each of the local display apparatus at an associated said computing appliance for at least two of the users, of a common project having an associated display initially comprised of a base image, the local display presentation comprising a combined display comprised of at least one of the base image and the base image combined with an image of selected annotations of the users working on the common project;

input logic, permitting concurrent input of annotations by at least two of the users via respective said input apparatus that provides an output of associated annotation data having an associated, display image;

non-transitory memory storage comprising a plurality of separate data layers of storage;

memory mapping logic associating each said data layer with one said user, wherein the annotation data for each said user is stored in a respective said data layer that is associated with the user responsive to the memory mapping logic;

display control logic, providing selection from the data layers of the selected annotations; and

display generation logic providing generation of the combined display showing a display of the selected annotations.

2. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the input of annotations is made by the user to appear relative to the display of the base image;

wherein the generation of the local display presentation at each said display apparatus is controlled separately to provide the generation of the local display presentation comprising one of;

only a base image;

the base image and the display of at least one of the annotations associated with one of the data layers;

the base image and the display of all the annotations associated with one of the data layers;

the base image and the display of at least one of the annotations associated from each of at least two of the data layers;

the base image and the display of the annotations associated with multiple of the data layers; and

the base image and all the display of the annotations as associated with all of the data layers.

3. The system as in claim 1,

wherein at least one of the users, selects which of the users are the selected users,

wherein the annotation data for the selected users is utilized in the display generation of the combined display presentation.

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

selection logic selecting which of the users are the selected users;

wherein the display control logic is responsive to the selection logic, to provide selection of at least a part of the associated annotation data that is associated with the selected users, to utilize as the selected annotations used in the generation of the combined display presentation.

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

display enable logic defining a display mode enabled for at least one said data layer; and

wherein the display generation is provided responsive to the data layers that have the display mode enabled.

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

edit control logic defining an input mode enabled for at least one said users;

wherein the input logic permits concurrent input by only those of the users that have the input mode enabled.

7. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the layer storage is further comprised of a base data layer providing storage of base image data having an associated base image display;

wherein the display control logic provides selection of at least part of the base image data from the base data layer in combination with at least part of the annotation data associated with at least one of the plurality of data layers that provides the selected annotations to be utilized in the generation of the combined display presentation;

wherein the combined display presentation is comprised of at least part of the base image combined with the associated image for the associated annotations.

8. The system as in claim 1,

wherein each of the annotations as input specifies a defined position of the associated display image of said annotations as appears in the combined display presentation at a specific location relative to the base image, wherein said defined position is determined by the input of the annotation by said user;

wherein the associated display image of said annotations, for the selected annotations, is shown in the combined display presentation located at the defined position in the combined display presentation.

9. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the layers of storage are comprised of duplicate set of data layers that are separately stored in respective local layer storage in each of at least two of the computing appliances;

wherein the annotation data is associated with, and stored in, the associated said data layer in the local layer storage at each of said at least two said computing appliances, responsive to the memory mapping logic.

10. The system as in claim 9,

wherein further input by any of the users provides storage of further said associated annotation data in the associated said data layer of a first one of the computing appliances associated with said user providing the further input;

wherein the further said associated annotation data is communicated to at least one other said computing appliance for storage in the local layer storage of the at least one other said computing appliance.

11. The system as in claim 9,

wherein the display control logic provides, for each of at least two said users, selection from the local data layers to provide local selected annotations associated with said user;

and

wherein the display generation logic generates a separate said combined display provided for viewing to each said user, of the associated image associated with the local selected annotations associated with said user.

12. The system as in claim 9,

wherein the layer storage is further comprised of centralized layer storage comprised of a centralized set of data layers that is a duplicate set to said sets of said local data layers,

wherein the annotation data associated with each said user is stored in the associated data layer that is associated with the user in the centralized layer storage;

and,

wherein storage of the annotation data is coordinated at each of at least two of the plurality of local layer storage and the centralized data storage, so that the associated data layers in the duplicate sets are synchronized and updated.

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

communication apparatus providing voice communication between each of at least two of the plurality of users, while said combined display presentation is being provided for viewing to each of the at least two of the plurality of users.

14. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the layer storage is comprised of local layer storage within at least two said computing appliances;

wherein the respective annotation data for respective annotations as input by each said user at the at least two said computing appliances, is first stored locally within an associated local layer of said local layer storage in the computing appliance associated with said user, and stored as changed annotation data that is associated with the user providing the input;

the system further comprising;

update logic communicating the changed annotation data from the associated local layer of storage of each of the at least two said computing appliances, from said associated local layer of storage in at least one of the at least two said computing appliances, for storage of the changed annotation data in the associated local layer storage of at least one other one of the at least two said computing appliances.

15. The system as in claim 14,

wherein the update logic communicates the changed annotation data from the associated local layer of storage of each of the computing appliances, from said associated local layer of storage in one of the computing appliances, for storage of the changed annotation data in the associated local layer storage of all other ones of the computing appliances.

16. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the display control logic provides, for each of at least two of the users, separate control for said user to select which of the annotations are local selected annotations associated with said user;

and

wherein the display generation logic provides generation of a combined display presentation provided for viewing to at each said user, utilizing the associated local selected layers associated with said user.

17. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the layer storage is further comprised of central layer storage providing centralized storage of the annotation data for all the data layers for at least two of the users.

18. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the selected annotations are comprised of a plurality of said selected annotations each associated with an associated time of input at a defined time, for a plurality of said defined times occurring in a time sequence order of input;

wherein the plurality of said selected annotations excludes at least one said selected annotation associated with a time of input occurring in-between the associated time of input for other of the selected annotations.

19. A method of collaborating, utilizing a plurality of computing appliances each with display apparatus and input apparatus, each of the computing appliances for use by a respective user Of a plurality of users, the method comprising:

structuring a non-transitory memory as a plurality of data layers of storage;

associating each of said data layers with an associated said user;

permitting concurrent input by each of at least two of the users, of annotations that generate associated data having an associated display image;

providing mapped storage of the associated data in said data layer that is associated with said respective said user;

selecting at least one said data layer as selected layers; and

generating a combined display presentation on the display apparatus of at least one of the users, responsive to at least a part of the associated data stored in the selected layers.

20. The method as in claim 19, further comprising:

for each of at least two of the users, separately selecting at least one of the data layers as local selected layers associated with said user, and

providing generation of a local display presentation displayed to each said user, generated responsive to the local selected layers associated with said user.

21. The method as in claim 19,

wherein an initial display presentation is presented for viewing to at least two of the users, said initial display presentation comprised of a base image display of an underlying work document relative to which the input of the annotations is to be made;

wherein the combined display presentation is comprised of one of;

the base image combined with the associated display image of at least one of the annotations associated with one of the data layers;

the base image display combined with the associated display image of annotations associated with one of the data layers;

the base image combined with the associated display image of at least one of the annotations associated from each of at least two of the data layers;

the base image combined with the associated display image of annotations associated with multiple selected ones of the data layers;

the base image combined with the associated display image of a part of the annotations as associated with all of the data layers; and

the base image combined with the associated display image of all the annotations as associated with all of the data layers.

22. The method as in claim 19, further comprising:

selecting at least one of the users as selected users;

selecting at least a part of the annotations associated with the selected users as selected annotations; and

generating the combined display presentation responsive to the associated data associated with the selected annotations.

23. The method as in claim 19, further comprising:

associating each of said computing appliances with an associated said user;

providing for a different display presentation on the display apparatus associated with at least two one of the users.

24. The method as in claim 19, further comprising:

defining a display mode enabled as to each of a plurality of the data layers;

selecting the data layers having the display mode enabled as the selected layers; and

providing the combined display presentation responsive to at least a part of the associated data stored in the selected layers.

25. The method as in claim 19, further comprising:

defining an input mode enabled as to at least one of the users associated as selected users;

permitting the concurrent input of the annotations and storage of said associated data for only the selected users.

26. The method as in claim 19,

wherein the data layers of storage are comprised of duplicate sets of data layers that are separately stored in respective local layer storage associated with each said user of at least two of the computing appliances;

wherein the associated data is associated with and stored in, the associated said data layer in the local layer storage at each of said at least two said computing appliances;

the method further comprising;

permitting an additional input by at least one said use to generate additional said associated data;

storing the additional said associated data in local layer storage associated with each said user; and

communicating said additional said associated data associated with each said user, between each of at least two of the computing appliances associated with said at least two said users, to provide local storage of the additional associated data in the respective said local layer storage of each one of the at least two said computing appliances.

27. The method as in claim 19, further comprising:

providing voice communication between at least two of the users, concurrently with providing the combined display presentation to the at least two of the users.

28. A method for collaboration among a plurality of users, a plurality of computing appliances each having a local display apparatus and an input apparatus, the method comprising:

providing a display presentation on the local display apparatus of at least two said computing appliances, comprising a display of a base image;

permitting concurrent input by each of at least two of the users, of annotations associated with said user providing said input, providing an output of associated annotation data representative of an associated image of the annotations, said input made so that the associated image of the annotations associated with said input appears relative to viewing of the base image display responsive to the associated annotation data;

structuring a non-transitory memory as a plurality of data layers;

associating each said user with a separate said data layer;

storing said user annotation data that is associated with each said user in the data layer that is associated with said user;

selecting at least one of the data layers as selected layers; and

providing the combined display presentation responsive to utilizing the selected layers.

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

selecting at least two of the annotations as selected annotations; and

wherein the combined display presentation is provided responsive to utilizing the selected annotations.

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

providing a first said display presentation at at least one of said computing appliances, responsive to a first combination of the data layers; and

,

providing a second said display presentation at at least one other of said computing appliances responsive to a second combination of the data layers.

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

providing a first said combined display presentation at at least one of said computing appliances, responsive to a first combination of the annotation data; and

,

providing a second said combined display presentation at at least one other of said computing appliances responsive to a different combination of the annotation data.