Multi-user collaboration tracking methods and systems

• US 9,846,526 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon and Redbox Digital Entertainment Services, LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lemus, Anthony, Roberts, Brian F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Kevin L
• Assistant Examiner(s): AYAD, MARIA S
• Application Number:
  US13/929,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 715753, 715202, 715215, 715762, 707608, 709204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• 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 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

An exemplary method includes a multi-user collaboration tracking system 1) detecting an initiation of a collaboration session during which a plurality of users interact with a whiteboard space displayed on a single physical display associated with a computing device, 2) detecting an interaction event performed with respect to the whiteboard space during the collaboration session, 3) identifying a user included in the plurality of users as having performed the interaction event, and 4) associating the interaction event with the user. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a multi-user collaboration tracking system, an initiation of a collaboration session during which a plurality of users interact with a whiteboard space displayed on a single physical display associated with a computing device, wherein the plurality of users interact with the whiteboard space during the collaboration session by touching the single physical display, the whiteboard space resembling one of a blank whiteboard, a blank paper, and a blank chalkboard before the collaboration session commences;

detecting, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, an interaction event performed with respect to the whiteboard space during the collaboration session;

identifying, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, a user included in the plurality of users interacting with the whiteboard space displayed on the single physical display as having performed the interaction event, the identifying including;

detecting a tagging touch gesture in which the user draws a shape of the tagging touch gesture in a designated area within the whiteboard space during the collaboration session, the shape of the tagging touch gesture predefined by the user based on an input provided by the user that defines a particular shape of tagging touch gesture as being unique to the user;

determining an orientation of the interaction event with respect to a side included in a plurality of sides of the single physical display; and

identifying the user based on the tagging touch gesture and the determined orientation of the interaction event with respect to the side included in the plurality of sides of the single physical display;

associating, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, the interaction event and each additional interaction event, which is performed within the whiteboard space after the detecting of the tagging touch gesture and before detecting an additional tagging touch gesture, with the user;

including, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, data representative of the interaction event and the user associated with the interaction event in an interaction event log corresponding to the collaboration session, the interaction event log comprising data that is representative of a plurality of other interaction events and a plurality of other users associated with the plurality of other interaction events and that includes one or more graphical objects that depict display elements that are drawn by one or more of the plurality of users and that are representative of one or more of the plurality of other interaction events; and

presenting, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, a summary of the collaboration session for display to a user, the summary including data representative of each interaction event performed during the collaboration session, information indicating which user included in the plurality of users performed each interaction event performed during the collaboration session, and the one or more graphical objects in accordance with the interaction event log.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, an additional interaction event performed with respect to the whiteboard space during the collaboration session;

identifying, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, an additional user included in the plurality of users as having performed the additional interaction event; and

associating, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, the additional interaction event with the additional user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction event comprises a creation by the user of a graphical object that is displayed within the whiteboard space, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, a selection of the graphical object; and

presenting, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system in response to the selection of the graphical object, information identifying the user associated with the interaction event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the presenting comprises directing the computing device to display the information on the single physical display.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction event comprises a creation by the user of a graphical object that is displayed within the whiteboard space, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, an additional input representative of an inquiry regarding the user; and

visually highlighting, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system in response to the additional input representative of an inquiry regarding the user, the graphical object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the tagging touch gesture is drawn by the user prior to the interaction event being performed; and

the identifying of the user as having performed the interaction event further comprises;

determining that no other intervening tagging touch gesture has been performed with respect to the whiteboard space in between the tagging touch gesture being performed and the interaction event being performed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the user as having performed the interaction event further comprises:

detecting handwriting used to perform the interaction event; and

identifying the user based on the handwriting.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating of the interaction event with the user comprises generating metadata associated with the interaction event that links the interaction event to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction event comprises a creation by the user of a graphical object that is displayed within the whiteboard space or a touch gesture performed by the user with respect to the whiteboard space.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, a timestamp associated with the interaction event.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, an additional input representative of a request to further associate the interaction event with an additional user included in the plurality of users; and

associating, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system in response to the request, the interaction event with the additional user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction event comprises a creation by the user of a graphical object that is displayed within the whiteboard space, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, a touch gesture performed with respect to the graphical object displayed within the whiteboard space; and

performing, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, an action with respect to the graphical object as specified by the touch gesture.

13. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the-identifying of the user as having performed the interaction event further comprises:

determining an orientation of the user with respect to the side included in the plurality of sides when the interaction event was performed; and

automatically identifying the user based on the determining of the orientation of the interaction event and the determining of the orientation of the user when the interaction event was performed.

15. A method comprising:

detecting, by a multi-user collaboration tracking system, an initiation of a collaboration session during which a plurality of users interact with a whiteboard space displayed on a single physical display associated with a computing device;

detecting, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, an interaction event performed with respect to the whiteboard space during the collaboration session, the interaction event comprising a creation, by a user included in the plurality of users interacting with the whiteboard space displayed on the single physical display, of a graphical object that is displayed within the whiteboard space;

identifying, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, the user as having performed the interaction event, the identifying including;

detecting a tagging touch gesture in which the user draws a shape of the tagging touch gesture in a designated area in the whiteboard space after the graphical object is created, the shape of the tagging touch gesture predefined by the user based on an input provided by the user that defines a particular shape of tagging touch gesture as being unique to the user;

determining an orientation of the interaction event with respect to a side included in a plurality of sides of the single physical display; and

identifying the user based on the tagging touch gesture and the determined orientation of the interaction event with respect to the side included in the plurality of sides of the single physical display; and

associating, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, the interaction event and each additional interaction event, which is performed within the whiteboard space after the detecting of the tagging touch gesture and before detecting an additional tagging touch gesture, with the user.

16. A method comprising:

detecting, by a multi-user collaboration tracking system, an initiation of a collaboration session during which a plurality of users interact with a whiteboard space displayed on a single physical display associated with a computing device;

detecting, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, an interaction event performed with respect to the whiteboard space during the collaboration session, the interaction event comprising a creation, by a user included in the plurality of users interacting with the whiteboard space displayed on the single physical display, of a graphical object that is displayed within the whiteboard space;

identifying, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, the user as having performed the interaction event, the identifying including;

detecting a selection of the graphical object;

detecting a tagging touch gesture in which the user draws a shape of the tagging touch gesture in a designated area in the whiteboard space, the shape of the tagging touch gesture predefined by the user based on an input provided by the user that defines a particular shape of tagging touch gesture as being unique to the user;

determining an orientation of the interaction event with respect to a side included in a plurality of sides of the single physical display; and

identifying the user based on the tagging touch gesture and the determined orientation of the interaction event with respect to the side included in the plurality of sides of the single physical display; and

associating, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, the interaction event and each additional interaction event, which is performed within the whiteboard space after the detecting of the tagging touch gesture and before detecting an additional tagging touch gesture, with the user.

17. A method comprising:

detecting, by a multi-user collaboration tracking system, a plurality of interaction events performed with respect to a single physical display associated with a computing device during a collaboration session in which a plurality of users interact with the single physical display by touching the single physical display, the single physical display resembling one of a blank whiteboard, a blank paper, and a blank chalkboard before the collaboration session commences;

determining, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, which user among the plurality of users performed each interaction event included in the plurality of interaction events by touching the single physical display, the determining including

detecting a tagging touch gesture in which one of the plurality of users draws a shape of the tagging touch gesture in a designated area within the single physical display during the collaboration session, the shape of the tagging touch gesture predefined by the one of the plurality of users based on an input provided by the one of the plurality of users that defines a particular shape of tagging touch gesture as being unique to the one of the plurality of users,

determining an orientation of each interaction event with respect to a side included in a plurality of sides of the single physical display, and

identifying the one of the plurality of users based on the tagging touch gesture and the determined orientation of each interaction event with respect to the side included in the plurality of sides of the single physical display;

associating, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system, each interaction event included in the plurality of interaction events, which is performed after the detecting of the tagging touch gesture and before detecting an additional tagging touch gesture, with the one of the plurality of users; and

providing, by the multi-user collaboration tracking system subsequent to the collaboration session and based on the determining, a digital document for display to a user, the digital document chronicling the collaboration session by summarizing each interaction event included in the plurality of interaction events;

wherein the digital document includes data representative of each interaction event performed during the collaboration session, information indicating which user included in the plurality of users performed each interaction event performed during the collaboration session, and one or more graphical objects that depict display elements that are drawn by one or more of the plurality of users and that are representative of one or more of the plurality of other interaction events.

18. The method of claim 17, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

19. A system comprising

at least one physical computing device that

detects an initiation of a collaboration session during which a plurality of users interact with a whiteboard space displayed on a single physical display associated with the at least one physical computing device, wherein the plurality of users interact with the whiteboard space during the collaboration session by touching the single physical display, the whiteboard space resembling one of a blank whiteboard, a blank paper, and a blank chalkboard before the collaboration session commences,

detects an interaction event performed with respect to the whiteboard space during the collaboration session,

identifies a user included in the plurality of users interacting with the whiteboard space displayed on the single physical display as having performed the interaction event by

detecting a tagging touch gesture in which the user draws a shape of the tagging touch gesture in a designated area within the whiteboard space during the collaboration session, the shape of the tagging touch gesture predefined by the user based on an input provided by the user that defines a particular shape of tagging touch gesture as being unique to the user;

determining an orientation of the interaction event with respect to a side included in a plurality of sides of the single physical display; and

identifying the user based on the tagging touch gesture and the determined orientation of the interaction event with respect to the side included in the plurality of sides of the single physical display;

associates the interaction event and each additional interaction event, which is performed within the whiteboard space after the detecting of the tagging touch gesture and before detecting an additional tagging touch gesture, with the user,

includes data representative of the interaction event and the user associated with the interaction event in an interaction event log corresponding to the collaboration session, the interaction event log comprising data that is representative of a plurality of other interaction events and a plurality of other users associated with the plurality of other interaction events and that includes one or more graphical objects that depict display elements that are drawn by one or more of the plurality of users and that are representative of one or more of the plurality of other interaction events, and

presents a summary of the collaboration session for display to a user, the summary including data representative of each interaction event performed during the collaboration session, information indicating which user included in the plurality of users performed each interaction event performed during the collaboration session, and the one or more graphical objects in accordance with the interaction event log.