System and methodology for collaboration utilizing combined display with evolving common shared underlying image
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- at least two computing appliances, each of the computing appliances for use by a respective user;
wherein each of the computing appliances is comprised of a memory, a communications interface, an input apparatus, and a display apparatus;
wherein each said display apparatus provides a respective display presentation of a display image comprised of a common shared underlying image;
wherein the respective input apparatus is responsive to input by the respective user to provide annotation data representative of a display image of annotations associated with the respective user and made to appear relative to the display presentation of the common shared underlying image;
control logic coordinating the storage and retrieval of the annotation data in the memory responsive to the communications via the communications interface,display logic providing and coordinating the display presentation provided on the display apparatus of each of a plurality of the computing appliances to, and upon which a plurality of the users are able to commonly collaborate by associating the annotations with the respective user providing the input, for each of a plurality of the annotations and a plurality of the users;
wherein the communications interface provides data communications between the computing appliances; and
wherein the display presentation on the display apparatus of the at least two of the computing appliances each provides a combined display presentation comprised of a display the common shared underlying image and selected ones of the annotations shown as made relative to and associated with the respective user for at least one of the respective users,wherein within the combined display presentation, the display image of the annotations for the at least one of the respective users is shown in the combined display presentation as aligned to and overlaid atop of the common shared underlying image.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and methodology for collaborating. The system as illustrated is comprised of at least two computing appliances, each of the computing appliances for use by a respective user. Each of the computing appliances is comprised of a processor, memory, communications interface, input apparatus, and display apparatus. Each said display apparatus provides a respective display presentation of a common shared underlying image. The respective input apparatus is responsive to input by the respective user to provide annotation data representative of a display image of annotations associated with the respective user. Thereafter, a respective user at each of the at least two of the computing appliances provides a combined display presentation comprised of a combination of the display image of the annotations associated with the respective user, shown as comprised of the display image of the annotations for the at least one of the respective users, which are aligned to and overlaid atop of the common shared underlying image in the combined display presentation. In one embodiment, the system is further comprised of communications apparatus providing voice (and/or video) communications between said respective users at least two of said respective computing appliances while also providing the display presentation at said at least two computing appliances. In an alternate embodiment, the display presentation starts as displaying only the base core image, and evolves at each subsequent finite point in time to provide a display presentation of an evolved combined image at each said subsequent finite point in time.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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at least two computing appliances, each of the computing appliances for use by a respective user; wherein each of the computing appliances is comprised of a memory, a communications interface, an input apparatus, and a display apparatus; wherein each said display apparatus provides a respective display presentation of a display image comprised of a common shared underlying image; wherein the respective input apparatus is responsive to input by the respective user to provide annotation data representative of a display image of annotations associated with the respective user and made to appear relative to the display presentation of the common shared underlying image; control logic coordinating the storage and retrieval of the annotation data in the memory responsive to the communications via the communications interface, display logic providing and coordinating the display presentation provided on the display apparatus of each of a plurality of the computing appliances to, and upon which a plurality of the users are able to commonly collaborate by associating the annotations with the respective user providing the input, for each of a plurality of the annotations and a plurality of the users; wherein the communications interface provides data communications between the computing appliances; and wherein the display presentation on the display apparatus of the at least two of the computing appliances each provides a combined display presentation comprised of a display the common shared underlying image and selected ones of the annotations shown as made relative to and associated with the respective user for at least one of the respective users, wherein within the combined display presentation, the display image of the annotations for the at least one of the respective users is shown in the combined display presentation as aligned to and overlaid atop of the common shared underlying image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for collaboration among a plurality of computing appliances, at least two of the computing appliances having a memory, an input apparatus and a display apparatus and provided for use by a respective user, of a plurality of users, the method comprising:
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providing a common shared underlying image initially comprised of a base document image; providing a display presentation on each of the display apparatus, the display presentation comprising a display image of the common shared underlying image; associating each of the computing appliances with a respective user; generating respective annotation data representative of annotations made at a user-specified location relative to the display image of the common shared underlying image, wherein the annotation data is representative of a display image of annotations made relative to viewing of the display presentation, responsive to a respective input by of a respective said input apparatus at each respective one of at least two of said computing appliances; storing the annotation data in the memory associated with the respective computing appliance providing the respective input; providing a combined display presentation for viewing at the respective display apparatus at at least one of the at least two computing appliances, responsive to the memory; wherein the combined display presentation is comprised of a display of the annotations as made by the at least two of the users, aligned to and overlaid atop of the common shared underlying image. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of collaborating, comprising:
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associating each of a plurality of computing appliances with a respective separate user of a plurality of said users, wherein each of the computing appliances is comprised of a memory, a communications interface, an input apparatus, and a display apparatus; providing a display presentation on each of the display apparatus of at least two of the computing appliances of a display image of a common shared underlying image; providing annotation data representative of a display image of annotations responsive to input by a respect of said user, made via a respective said input apparatus while the display presentation of the image of the common shared underlying image is provided on the display apparatus of the respective said computing appliance, wherein the annotation data is associated with the user providing the input via said input apparatus; selectively storing the annotation data in an associated part of the memory that is associated with the respective user providing the input of the annotation data; selecting the annotations made by at least one selected one of the users, as selected annotations; providing a combined display presentation, of the display image of the selected annotations displayed relative to the display of the common shared underlying image in the combined display presentation; providing the combined display presentation for viewing on the display apparatus of at least one of the computing appliances; and wherein the display image of the annotations are combined with the common shared underlying image in the combined display presentation. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification