Digital whiteboard collaboration apparatuses, methods and systems

• US 9,430,140 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Haworth Incorporated
• Inventors: Reuschel, Jeffrey Jon, Mason, Steve, Thorp, Clarkson Sheppard, Haggerty, Ammon
• Primary Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US13/478,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20130047093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 715/753
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0383 Remote input, i.e. interface arrangements in which the signals generated by a pointing device are transmitted to a PC at a remote location, e.g. to a PC in a LAN
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/122 Tiling
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/025 LAN communication management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline

Abstract

The DIGITAL WHITEBOARD COLLABORATION APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“DWC”) transform user multi-element touchscreen gestures via DWC components into updated digital collaboration whiteboard objects. In one embodiment, the DWC obtains user whiteboard input from a client device participating in a digital collaborative whiteboarding session. The DWC parses the user whiteboard input to determine user instructions, and modifies a tile object included in the digital collaborative whiteboarding session according to the determined user instructions. The DWC generates updated client viewport content for the client device. Also, the DWC determines that client viewport content of a second client device should be modified because of modifying the tile object included in the digital whiteboard. The DWC generates updated client viewport content for the second client device after determining that the content of the second client device should be modified, and provides the updated client viewport content to the second client device.

Claims

1. A digital collaborative whiteboarding processor-implemented method, comprising:

storing a digital whiteboard including content of a collaborative digital whiteboarding session, the content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session including data associated with a first object and a second object, wherein,

the first and second objects are each one of a video, an image, a drawing, and text, and

the data includes location data of the first and second objects within the digital whiteboard;

in response to a query identifying a first client viewport specification for a client viewport associated with a client device, selecting client viewport content for the client device by querying the stored content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session to identify a first set of one or more objects, including the first object, associated with location data indicating the first set of one or more objects are within the client viewport of the client device according to the first client viewport specification, wherein the client viewport according to the first client viewport specification includes a first portion of the digital whiteboard including at least a portion of the first object and wherein the client viewport according to the first client viewport specification does not include a second portion of the digital whiteboard, the second portion of the digital whiteboard including the second object;

obtaining user whiteboard input from the client device;

identifying a user instruction based on the user whiteboard input;

modifying the client viewport specification associated with the client device from the first client viewport specification to a second client viewport specification, according to the identified user instruction; and

in response to modifying the client viewport specification, selecting updated client viewport content by querying the stored content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session to identify a second set of one or more objects, including the second object, associated with location data according to the second client viewport specification, wherein the client viewport according to the second client viewport specification includes the second portion of the digital whiteboard including at least a portion of the second object;

wherein the selected updated client viewport content for the client device further includes a map of the digital whiteboard, the map including indications of the position in the whiteboard of the client viewport of the client device connected to the whiteboarding session and a second client viewport of a second client device connected to the whiteboarding session, wherein position of the client viewport is different from the position of the second client viewport.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying an object included in the digital whiteboard that is part of the digital collaborative whiteboarding session.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that client viewport content of a second client device should be modified because of modifying the object included in the digital whiteboard; and

selecting updated client viewport content for the second client device after determining that the client viewport content of the second client device should be modified by querying the stored content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session to identify one or more objects associated with location data indicating the one or more objects are within a client viewport of the second client device; and

providing, to the second client device, the updated client viewport content for the second client device.

4. The digital collaborative whiteboarding processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein modifying the client viewport specification associated with the client device includes one of modifying the shape of the client viewport, modifying zoom level of the client viewport, modifying aspect ratio of the client viewport, and modifying position of the client viewport.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user whiteboard input includes data on a touchscreen gesture performed by the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the client device is one of:

a multi-user touchscreen device; and

a mobile touchscreen-enabled device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user instruction further includes a tile object modification instruction.

8. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising;

modifying an object of the digital collaborative whiteboarding session; and

storing the pre-modified object and the modified object, of the digital collaborative whiteboarding session, as different versions of the object;

wherein the updated client viewport content for the client device further includes a time/version-evolution animation of the versions of the object.

9. A digital collaborative whiteboarding system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory disposed in communication with the processor and storing processor-executable instructions to;

store a digital whiteboard including content of a collaborative digital whiteboarding session, the content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session including data associated with a first object and a second object, wherein,

the first and second objects are each one of a video, an image, a drawing object, and text, and

the data includes location data of the first and second objects within the digital whiteboard;

in response to a query identifying a first client viewport specification for a client viewport associated with a client device, select client viewport content for the client device by querying the stored content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session to identify a first set of one or more objects, including the first object, associated with location data indicating the first set of one or more objects are within the client viewport of the client device according to the first client viewport specification, wherein the client viewport according to the first client viewport specification includes a first portion of the digital whiteboard including at least a portion of the first object and wherein the client viewport according to the first client viewport specification does not include a second portion of the digital whiteboard, the second portion of the digital whiteboard including the second object;

obtain user whiteboard input from the client device;

identify a user instruction based on the user whiteboard input;

modify the client viewport specification associated with the client device from the first client viewport specification to a second client viewport specification, according to the identified user instruction; and

in response to modifying the client viewport specification, selecting updated client viewport content by querying the stored content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session to identify a second set of one or more objects, including the second object, associated with location data according to the second client viewport specification, wherein the client viewport according to the second client viewport specification includes the second portion of the digital whiteboard including at least a portion of the second object;

wherein the selected updated client viewport content for the client device further includes a map of the digital whiteboard, the map including indications of the position in the whiteboard of the client viewport of the client device connected to the whiteboarding session and a second client viewport of a second client device connected to the whiteboarding session, wherein position of the client viewport is different from the position of the second client viewport.

10. A non-transitory processor-readable tangible medium storing processor-executable digital collaborative whiteboarding instructions to:

store a digital whiteboard including content of a collaborative digital whiteboarding session, the content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session including data associated with a first object and a second object, wherein,

the first and second objects are each one of a video, an image , a drawing object, and text, and

the data includes location data of the first and second objects within the digital whiteboard;

in response to a query identifying a first client viewport specification for a client viewport associated with a client device, select client viewport content for the client device by querying the stored content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session to identify a first set of one or more objects, including the first object, associated with location data indicating the first set of one or more objects are within the client viewport of the client device according to the first client viewport specification, wherein the client viewport according to the first client viewport specification includes a first portion of the digital whiteboard including at least a portion of the first object and wherein the client viewport according to the first client viewport specification does not include a second portion of the digital whiteboard, the second portion of the digital whiteboard including the second object;

obtain user whiteboard input from the client device;

identify a user instruction based on the user whiteboard input;

modify the client viewport specification associated with the client device from the first client viewport specification to a second client viewport specification, according to the identified user instruction; and

in response to modifying the client viewport specification, selecting updated client viewport content by querying the stored content of the collaborative digital whiteboarding session to identify a second set of one or more objects, including the second object, associated with location data according to the second client viewport specification, wherein the client viewport according to the second client viewport specification includes the second portion of the digital whiteboard including at least a portion of the second object;

wherein the selected updated client viewport content for the client device further includes a map of the digital whiteboard, the map including indications of the position in the whiteboard of the client viewport of the client device connected to the whiteboarding session and a second client viewport of a second client device connected to the whiteboarding session, wherein position of the client viewport is different from the position of the second client viewport.