Visual feedback during remote collaboration

• US 9,190,021 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2012
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Tan, Kar-Han
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRAVITZ, BRIAN S
• Application Number:
  US13/454,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20130278629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/592
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

Visual feedback is provided to a local user of a remote collaboration system. While an image is being captured, it is recognized that content is being shared on a screen. A composite image is generated which includes a form of the image being captured and the shared content. The composite image is caused to be displayed on a remote screen. A variably semi-transparent image of at least a portion of the composite image or the image is generated and is rendered on a portion of the screen such that the variably semi-transparent image is overlaid on any of the shared content or another composite image displayed on the screen.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recognizing that content is being shared on a local screen while an image is being captured at a location of the local screen;

generating a first composite image including a form of the image and the shared content;

causing the first composite image to be displayed on a remote screen, wherein in the first composite image, the shared content is occluding an object such that a remote user cannot see all or a portion of the object;

displaying a second composite image on the local screen, the second composite image including at least a second image captured at a different location of the remote screen and being received from a sub-system associated with the remote screen;

recognizing in response to a determination, by a visual feedback engine, that the shared content is occluding the object in the first composite image;

generating, by the visual feedback engine, a variably semi-transparent image of at least a portion of the image including the object that is being occluded by the shared content; and

overlaying the variably semi-transparent image on the shared content on the local screen, thereby providing a local user with visual feedback as to how the shared content is occluding the object in the first composite image, the variably semi-transparent image overlaid on the shared content being provided within only a portion of the second composite image, the portion of the second composite image being smaller than the second composite image.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically and automatically causing a level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image to vary based upon the object that is being occluded by the shared content.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the dynamically and automatically causing includes causing the level of transparency to be lower when the object is the local user.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein providing the variably semi-transparent image is accomplished by causing the variably semi-transparent image to be displayed in a window that is overlaid on the shared content.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising causing the variably semi-transparent image to exhibit a level of transparency that corresponds with a local user-selected transparency level setting.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the generating of the variably semi-transparent image is accomplished using alpha compositing.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions that when executed implement a method for providing visual feedback to a local user of a remote collaboration system, the method comprising:

recognizing that content is being shared on a local screen while an image is being captured at a location of the local screen;

generating a first composite image including the image being captured and the shared content;

causing the first composite image to be displayed on a remote screen, wherein in the first composite image, the shared content is occluding an object such that a remote user cannot see all or a portion of the object;

displaying a second composite image on the local screen, the second composite image including at least a second image captured at a different location of the remote screen and being received from a sub-system associated with the remote screen;

recognizing in response to a determination, by a visual feedback engine, that the shared content is occluding the object in the first composite image;

generating, by the visual feedback engine, a variably semi-transparent image of at least a portion of the image including the object that is being occluded by the shared content; and

overlaying the variably semi-transparent image on the shared content on the local screen, thereby providing the local user with visual feedback as to how the shared content is occluding the object in the first composite image displayed on the remote screen, the variably semi-transparent image overlaid on the shared content being provided within only a portion of the second composite image displayed on the local screen, the portion of the second composite image being smaller than the second composite image displayed on the local screen.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

dynamically and automatically causing a level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image to vary based upon the object that is being occluded by the shared content.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the dynamically and automatically causing includes causing the level of transparency to be lower when the object is the local user.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 7, wherein providing the variably semi-transparent image includes causing the variably semi-transparent image to be displayed in a window that is overlaid on the shared content.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the rendering of the variably semi-transparent image includes causing the variably semi-transparent image to exhibit a level of transparency that corresponds with a local user-selected transparency level setting.

12. A system for providing visual feedback to a local user of a remote collaboration system, the system comprising:

a processor;

a local screen to receive and display a composite image from a sub-system associated with a remote screen of the remote collaboration system, the composite image including an image captured at a location of the remote screen;

a compositing engine, including a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions executable by the processor and stored on a non-transitory, tangible memory medium, to;

recognize that content is being shared on a local screen while a second an image including an object is being captured at a different location of the local screen;

generate a second composite image including a form of the second image being captured and the shared content; and

cause the composite image to be displayed on a remote screen, wherein in the composite image, the shared content is occluding the object such that a remote user cannot see all or a portion of the object;

the remote screen to display the second composite image; and

a visual feedback engine, including instructions executable by the processor and stored on the non-transitory, tangible memory medium or on another non-transitory, tangible memory medium, to;

recognize in response to a determination that the shared content is occluding the object in the composite image;

generate a variably semi-transparent image of at least a portion of the second image including the object that is being occluded by the shared content; and

overlay the variably semi-transparent image on the shared content on the local screen such that visual feedback is provided to the local user as to how the shared content is occluding the object in the second composite image displayed on the remote screen, the variably semitransparent image overlaid on the shared content being provided within only a portion of the composite image displayed on the local screen, the portion of the composite image being smaller than the composite image displayed on the local screen.

13. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions are executable to:

dynamically and automatically cause a level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image to vary based upon the type of object that is being occluded by the shared content.

14. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the variably semi-transparent image is displayed in a window that is overlaid on the shared content.

15. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions are executable to cause the variably semi-transparent image to have a level of transparency that corresponds with a local user-selected transparency level setting.

16. The system as defined in claim 12, further comprising:

a local screen to receive and display a second composite image from a sub-system associated with the remote screen of the remote collaboration system, the second composite image including a second image captured at a different location of the remote screen.

17. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions are executable to, in response to a determination that the object is the local user, reduce the level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image.

18. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the instructions are executable to, in response to a determination that the object is not the local user, increase the level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image.

19. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the object is the local user, and wherein the instructions are executable to control the level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image based on a body part of the local user that is being occluded by the shared content.

20. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the object is the local user, and wherein the instructions are executable to control the level of transparency of the variably semi-transparent image based on how much of the local user is being occluded by the shared content.