Program, communication apparatus and control method

• US 9,509,733 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Oike, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Anil N
• Application Number:
  US14/226,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20140298205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• 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

Abstract

In a communication apparatus, a first portion of a shared material is displayed in a first display area within a remote conference screen which is displayed in a display connected to the communication apparatus. When the communication apparatus is in a state for receiving an input of an annotation to the shared material, a second display area is set as an area for receiving a first input. When the first input is received, a portion of the shared material displayed in the first display area is changed from the first portion to a second portion of the shared material. When a second input is received to a position outside the second display area, an annotation corresponding to the second input is displayed to be superimposed on the first portion in the first display area.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions, the instructions, when executed by a processor of a first communication apparatus configured to participate in a remote conference between the first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus via a network, causing the processor to perform operations comprising:

a display control operation outputting, to a display connected to the first communication apparatus, an instruction representing displaying a first portion of a shared material in a first display area within a remote conference screen, the remote conference screen being displayed in the display and including display items relating to the remote conference between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus via the network, the shared material corresponding to shared material data shared in the remote conference;

a setting operation setting, in a state where the first communication apparatus is in a first state for receiving an input of an annotation to the shared material, a second display area within the remote conference screen, the second display area being configured to receive a first input, the second display area being smaller than the first display area;

an input acquiring operation acquiring an input to the remote conference screen via an operation device connected to the first communication apparatus;

an input determining operation determining, when the second display area is set by the setting operation, whether the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the first input or a second input, the first input being an input to a position within the second display area, the second input being an input to a position outside the second display area and within the first display area; and

a communication control operation transmitting, when the input determining operation determines that the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the second input, data representing an annotation corresponding to the second input to the second communication apparatus,

wherein the display control operation comprises;

outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying the second display area set by the setting operation in a state different from the first display area,

in response to the input determining operation determining that the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the first input, outputting, to the display, an instruction representing changing a portion of the shared material displayed in the first display area from the first portion to a second portion of the shared material, the second portion being different from the first portion, and

in response to the input determining operation determining that the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the second input, outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying the annotation corresponding to the second input to be superimposed on the first portion in the first display area.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the setting operation comprises setting a partial area within the first display area as the second display area, a capture image corresponding to capture image data being displayed in the partial area, the capture image data being one of first data captured by the second communication apparatus and received from the second communication apparatus and second data captured by a camera connected to the first communication apparatus, and

wherein the display control operation comprises outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying the capture image in a state different from the first display area.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 2,

wherein the operations performed by the processor further comprise:

a display determining operation determining whether the capture image is being displayed in the partial area within the first display area, and

wherein the setting operation comprises, in response to the display determining operation determining that the capture image is being displayed, setting, as the second display area, the partial area within the first display area in which the capture image being displayed.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the operations performed by the processor further comprise:

a first acquiring operation acquiring position information from the second communication apparatus, the position information representing a certain position of the shared material displayed within a third display area, the third display area being an area in another conference screen which is displayed on a display of the second communication apparatus and includes display items relating to the remote conference, and

wherein the setting operation comprises;

determining, with respect to a position on the first display area, a first evaluation value corresponding to a distance between the certain position represented by the position information and the position on the first display area, and

specifying a position of the second display area based on the first evaluation value to set the second display area at the specified position.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 4,

wherein the setting operation comprises determining the first evaluation value with respect to each of a plurality of sections within the first display area such that the first evaluation value becomes higher for a section closer to the certain position represented by the position information, the plurality of sections being obtained by dividing the first display area.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 5,

wherein the setting operation comprises setting, as the second display area, a section having the least first evaluation value.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the operations performed by the processor further comprise:

a second acquiring operation acquiring a position of an annotation to the shared material, and

wherein the setting operation comprises;

determining, with respect to a position on the first display area, a second evaluation value corresponding to the position of the annotation, and

specifying a position of the second display area based on the second evaluation value to set the second display area at the specified position.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7,

wherein the setting operation comprises:

acquiring, with respect to each of a plurality of sections within the first display area, a number of annotations input to the section based on positions of annotations acquired by the second acquiring operation, the plurality of sections being obtained by dividing the first display area, and

determining the second evaluation values such that the second evaluation values become higher for a section having a larger number of annotations.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 8,

wherein the setting operation comprises setting, as the second display area, a section having the least second evaluation value.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the setting operation comprises re-setting the second display area when a predetermined time has elapsed after the input determined as the first input by the input determining operation is acquired by the input acquiring operation.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the operations performed by the processor further comprise:

an end determining operation determining whether the second input ends based on the input acquired by the input acquiring operation, and

wherein the setting operation comprises re-setting the second display area in response to the end determining operation determining that the second input ends.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the display control operation comprises outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying a thumbnail image in the second display area, the thumbnail image corresponding to the shared material including the first portion displayed in the first display area.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the setting operation comprises setting a partial area within the first display area as the second display area, and

wherein the display control operation comprises outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying a portion of the shared material corresponding to a position of the second display area with brightness lower than brightness of a portion of the shared material corresponding to a position outside of the second display area.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the display control operation comprises, in response to the input determining operation determining that the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the first input, outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying, as the second portion, a portion of the shared material which is separate from the first portion by a change amount in the first display area, the change amount being obtained by multiplying a coordinate change amount of an operation to the second display area by a first value.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the display control operation comprise, in response to the input determining operation determining that the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the first input, outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying, as the second portion, a portion of the shared material which is separate from the first portion by a change amount in the first display area, the change amount being obtained by multiplying a coordinate change amount of an operation to the second display area by a second value which corresponds to a ratio of a size of the first display area to a size of the second display area.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the setting operation comprises, in response to the input determining operation determining that the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the second input, invalidating the second display area at least until the second input ends, and

wherein the input determining operation comprises determining that, when the second display area is invalidated, the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the second input even if the input is performed to the second display area.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1,

wherein the operations performed by the processor further comprise:

a switching operation switching the first communication apparatus between the first state and a second state in which an input of an annotation is not received, based on an input acquired by the input acquiring operation, and

wherein the setting operation comprises setting the second display area when the first communication apparatus is in the first state, while not setting the second display area when the first communication apparatus is in the second state.

18. A first communication apparatus configured to participate in a remote conference with a second communication apparatus via a network, the first communication apparatus comprising:

a processor,

memory storing instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to perform operations comprising;

a display control operation outputting, to a display connected to the first communication apparatus, an instruction representing displaying a first portion of a shared material in a first display area within a remote conference screen, the remote conference screen being displayed in the display and including display items relating to the remote conference between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus via the network, the shared material corresponding to shared material data shared in the remote conference;

a setting operation setting, in a state where the first communication apparatus is in a first state for receiving an input of an annotation to the shared material, a second display area within the remote conference screen, the second display area being configured to receive a first input, the second display area being smaller than the first display area;

an input acquiring operation acquiring an input to the remote conference screen via an operation device connected to the first communication apparatus;

an input determining operation determining, when the second display area is set by the setting operation, whether the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the first input or a second input, the first input being an input to a position within the second display area, the second input being an input to a position outside the second display area and within the first display area; and

a communication control operation transmitting, when the input determining operation determines that the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the second input, data representing an annotation corresponding to the second input to the second communication apparatus,

wherein the display control operation comprises;

outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying the second display area set by the setting operation in a state different from the first display area,

in response to the input determining operation determining that the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the first input, outputting, to the display, an instruction representing changing a portion of the shared material displayed in the first display area from the first portion to a second portion of the shared material, the second portion being different from the first portion, and

in response to the input determining operation determining that the input acquired by the input acquiring operation is the second input, outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying the annotation corresponding to the second input to be superimposed on the first portion in the first display area.

19. The first communication apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein the operation device and the display configure a touch panel, and include a touch pad configured to receive the first input and the second input.

20. A control method of a first communication apparatus for participating in a remote conference with a second communication apparatus via a network, the method comprising:

outputting, to a display connected to the first communication apparatus, an instruction representing displaying a first portion of a shared material in a first display area within a remote conference screen, the remote conference screen being displayed in the display and including display items relating to the remote conference between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus via the network, the shared material corresponding to shared material data shared in the remote conference;

in a state where the first communication apparatus is in a first state for receiving an input of an annotation to the shared material, setting a second display area within the remote conference screen, the second display area being configured to receive a first input, the second display area being smaller than the first display area;

acquiring an input to the remote conference screen via an operation device connected to the first communication apparatus;

when the second display area is set by the setting step, determining whether the input acquired by the input acquiring step is the first input or a second input, the first input being an input to a position within the second display area, the second input being an input to a position outside the second display area and within the first display area; and

when the input determining step determines that the input acquired by the input acquiring step is the second input, transmitting data representing an annotation corresponding to the second input to the second communication apparatus,

wherein the display control step comprises;

outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying the second display area set by the setting step in a state different from the first display area,

in response to the input determining step determining that the input acquired by the input acquiring step is the first input, outputting, to the display, an instruction representing changing a portion of the shared material displayed in the first display area from the first portion to a second portion of the shared material, the second portion being different from the first portion, and

in response to the input determining step determining that the input acquired by the input acquiring step is the second input, outputting, to the display, an instruction representing displaying the annotation corresponding to the second input to be superimposed on the first portion in the first display area.