Multi-site screen interactions

• US 9,323,417 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sun, Qibin, Zhang, Zhishou, Wee, Susie, Chen, Kai, Zhang, Yajun, You, Yi, Zhu, Zhongping
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US14/052,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20150085065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• 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 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A technology for interacting with a collaborative videoconferencing environment is disclosed. A display having a substantially “L-shaped” configuration allows for display of collaborative materials and video of remote participants simultaneously, which provides for a more natural interaction for a meeting participant interacting with the collaborative materials. Meeting participants in the collaborative videoconferencing environment, both locally and remote, can simultaneously interact with the same content as if they were in the same location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, input data describing an input received by a first computing device presenting a collaborative video-conference on a first screen, the input instructing the first computing device to modify the collaborative video-conference presented on the first screen, wherein the first computing device is engaged in a video-conference with a second computing device presenting the collaborative video-conference on a second screen, wherein the input instructs the first computing device to add video content to the collaborative video-conference presented on the first screen;

determining, by the processor, an output command based on the received input data, the output command instructing the second computing device to modify the collaborative video-conference presented on the second screen and to determine whether the video content should be presented as either active content that can be modified by the second computing device or inactive content that cannot be modified by the second computing device; and

transmitting, by the processor, the output command to the second computing device, wherein the second computing device modifies the collaborative video-conference presented on the second screen according to the output command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the video content should be presented as either active content or inactive content comprises:

determining whether the video content is either collaborative content or non-collaborative content;

when the content is non-collaborative content, determining that the video-content be presented as inactive content; and

when the content is not non-collaborative content, selecting that the video-content be presented as active content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the video content should be presented as either active video content or inactive video further comprises:

determining whether the input data indicates that the video-content should be presented as inactive content; and

when the input data indicates that the video-content should be presented as inactive content, selecting that the video-content be presented as inactive content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the input data further describes an input method used to enter the input, and

the output command instructs the second computing device to present meeting participant content representing the input method described by the input data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the input method is a touch received on a touchscreen, and the meeting participant content is a virtual hand.

6. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive input data describing an input received by a first computing device presenting a collaborative video-conference on a first screen, the input instructing the first computing device to modify the collaborative video-conference presented on the first screen, wherein the first computing device is engaged in a video-conference with a second computing device presenting the collaborative video-conference on a second screen, wherein the input instructs the first computing device to add video content to the collaborative video-conference presented on the first screen;

determine an output command based on the received input data, the output command instructing the second computing device to modify the collaborative video-conference presented on the second screen and to determine whether the video content should be presented as either active content that can be modified by the second computing device or inactive content that cannot be modified by the second computing device; and

transmit the output command to the second computing device, wherein the second computing device modifies the collaborative video-conference presented on the second screen according to the output command.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein determining whether the video content should be presented as either active content or inactive content comprises:

determining whether the video content is either collaborative content or non-collaborative content;

when the content is non-collaborative content, determining that the video-content be presented as inactive content; and

when the content is not non-collaborative content, selecting that the video-content be presented as active content.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein determining whether the video content should be presented as either active video content or inactive video further comprises:

determining whether the input data indicates that the video-content should be presented as inactive content; and

when the input data indicates that the video-content should be presented as inactive content, selecting that the video-content be presented as inactive content.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein

the input data further describes an input method used to enter the input, and

the output command instructs the second computing device to present meeting participant content representing the input method described by the data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the input method is a touch received on a touchscreen, and the meeting participant content is a virtual hand.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive input data describing a input received by a first computing device presenting a collaborative video-conference on a first screen, the input instructing the first computing device to modify the collaborative video-conference presented on the first screen, wherein the first computing device is engaged in a video-conference with a second computing device presenting the collaborative video-conference on a second screen, wherein the input instructs the first computing device to add video content to the collaborative video-conference presented on the first screen;

determine an output command based on the received input data, the output command instructing the second computing device to modify the collaborative video-conference presented on the second screen and to determine whether the video content should be presented as either active content that can be modified by the second computing device or inactive content that cannot be modified by the second computing device; and

transmit the output command to the second computing device, wherein the second computing device modifies the collaborative video-conference presented on the second screen according to the output command.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining whether the video content should be presented as either active content or inactive content comprises:

determining whether the video content is either collaborative content or non-collaborative content;

when the content is non-collaborative content, determining that the video-content be presented as inactive content; and

when the content is not non-collaborative content, selecting that the video-content be presented as active content.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein determining whether the video content should be presented as either active video content or inactive video further comprises:

determining whether the data indicates that the video-content should be presented as inactive content; and

when the data indicates that the video-content should be presented as inactive content, selecting that the video-content be presented as inactive content.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein

the input data further describes an input method used to enter the input, and

the output command instructs the second computing device to present meeting participant content representing the input method described by the input data.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the input method is a touch received on a touchscreen, and the meeting participant content is a virtual hand.