Techniques for shaping real-time content between multiple endpoints

• US 9,906,594 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Social Communications Company
• Original Assignee: Prysm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cuzzort, Adam P., Fischer, Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): TOKUTA, SHEAN S
• Application Number:
  US14/675,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20150207878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• 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: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• 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 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/14 Systems for two-way working H04N7/12, H04N7/173 take precedence

Abstract

A client application coupled to a display generates a shared workspace that includes a content stream derived from a local user device a well as another content stream derived from a remote device. The client application is configured to detect when a user device is coupled locally, and to receive a content stream from that device. The client application determines when the other content stream is available, and then accesses that content stream via a streaming infrastructure. The client application then generates the shared workspace by rendering the two content streams to a display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for sharing content streams across a plurality of displays, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first display system, a first stream from a first user device, the first stream being associated with a first set of stream display attributes;

polling, at the first display system, a stream server for new notifications received at the stream server from a second display system, the second display system comprising a second user device;

in response to the polling, receiving, at the first display system from the stream sever, a first notification originating from the second display system, the first notification including a second set of stream display attributes associated with a second stream from the second user device and first data indicating a location to access the second stream, the location comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) combined with a first identifier for the second display system and a second identifier for the second user device;

parsing the first notification to extract the second set of stream display attributes and the first data;

in response to receiving the first notification from the second display system, accessing, based on the first data included in the first notification, the second stream from the stream server, wherein the second stream originates from the second user device;

generating a first workspace that includes displaying the first stream within a first presentation window and the second stream within a second presentation window; and

causing the first workspace along with the first stream and the second stream to be displayed on a first display, wherein the first stream is displayed according to the first set of stream display attributes that includes at least one of a position on the display, a picture size and an aspect ratio, and the second stream is displayed according to the extracted second set of stream display attributes, that includes at least one of a position on the display, a picture size and an aspect ratio.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second notification that includes second data that identifies the first stream; and

transmitting the second notification to the second display system via a messaging infrastructure, wherein the second display system is configured to access and display the first stream from the stream server based on the second notification.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving at the second display system the second notification originating from the first display system;

parsing at the second display system the second notification to extract the second data;

accessing at the second display system the first stream based on the second data from the stream server;

generating a second workspace that includes the first stream and the second stream; and

causing the second workspace to be displayed on a second display.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the second notification further includes the first set of stream display attributes that reflect display settings for the first stream, and further comprising:

parsing the second notification to extract the first set of stream display attributes; and

displaying the first stream within the second workspace based on the first set of stream display attributes.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the first workspace and the second workspace comprise substantially similar data that is substantially synchronized in real time.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a command directed towards at least one of the first workspace and the second workspace; and

in response, causing at least one of the first user device and the second user device to execute the command.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a command directed towards at least one of the first workspace and the second workspace; and

in response, replaying a portion of at least one of the first stream and the second stream.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising down sampling the second stream based on a display resolution associated with the first display.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first user device is coupled to the first display and configured to output the first stream to the first display.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second user device is coupled to a second display and configured to output the second stream to the second display.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the steps of receiving the first stream, receiving the first notification, parsing, accessing, generating, and causing are performed by a software module that resides in the first user device.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the first display system, transmitting a second notification to the stream server, the second notification including the first set of stream display attributes associated with the first stream.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first workspace further includes at least one asset having associated metadata specifying, for the at least one asset, an aspect ratio and a position in terms of percent location along an x-axis and y-axis of the first workspace.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to share content streams across a plurality of displays, by performing the steps of:

receiving, at a first display system, a first stream from a first user device, the first stream being associated with a first set of stream display attributes;

polling, at the first display system, a stream server for new notifications received at the stream server from a second display system, the second display system comprising a second user device;

in response to the polling, receiving, at the first display system from the stream sever, a first notification originating from the second display system, the first notification including a second set of stream display attributes associated with a second stream from the second user device and first data indicating a location to access the second stream, the location comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) combined with a first identifier for the second display system and a second identifier for the second user device;

parsing the first notification to extract the second set of stream display attributes and the first data;

in response to receiving the first notification from the second display system, accessing, based on the first data included in the first notification, the second stream from the stream server, wherein the second stream originates from the second user device;

generating a first workspace that includes displaying the first stream within a first presentation window and the second stream within a second presentation window; and

causing the first workspace along with the first stream and the second stream to be displayed on a first display, wherein the first stream is displayed according to the first set of stream display attributes that includes at least one of a position on the display, a picture size and an aspect ratio, and the second stream is displayed according to the extracted second set of stream display attributes, that includes at least one of a position on the display, a picture size and an aspect ratio.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

generating a second notification that includes second data that identifies the first stream; and

transmitting the second notification to the second display system via a messaging infrastructure, wherein the second display system is configured to access and display the first stream from the stream server based on the second notification.

14. A system for sharing content streams across a plurality of displays, comprising:

a first user device configured to generate and output a first stream; and

a first display system that includes;

a first display, and

a first appliance that has;

a first memory storing a first client application, and

a first processor that, in conjunction with executing the first client application;

receives the first stream from the first user device, the first stream being associated with a first set of stream display attributes,

polls a stream server for new notifications received at the stream server from a second display system, the second display system comprising a second user device,

in response to the polling, receives from the stream sever, a first notification originating from the second display system, the first notification including a second set of stream display attributes associated with a second stream from the second user device and first data indicating a location to access the second stream, the location comprising a uniform resource locator (URL) combined with a first identifier for the second display system and a second identifier for the second user device,

parses the first notification to extract the second set of stream display attributes and the first data,

in response to receiving the first notification from the second display system, accesses, based on the first data included in the first notification, the second stream from the stream server, wherein the second stream originates from the second user device,

generates a first workspace that includes displaying the first stream within a first presentation window and the second stream within a second presentation window, and

causes the first workspace, the first stream, and the second stream to be displayed on the first display, wherein the first stream is displayed according to the first set of stream display attributes that includes at least one of a position on the display, a picture size, and an aspect ratio, and the second stream is displayed according to the extracted second set of stream display attributes, that includes at least one of a position on the display, a picture size, and an aspect ratio.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second user device, configured to generate and output the second stream; and

a second display system that includes;

a second display, and

a second appliance that has;

a second memory storing a second client application, and

a second processor that, in conjunction with executing the second client application;

receives the second stream from the second user device,

transmits the second stream to the stream server, and

transmits the first notification to the first display system, via a messaging infrastructure, that identifies the second stream, wherein the first processor is configured to access the second stream, from the stream server, based on the first notification.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first processor, in conjunction with executing the first client application, transmits the first stream to the stream server, and the second processor, in conjunction with executing the second client application:

accesses the first stream from the stream server;

generates a second workspace that includes the first stream and the second stream; and

causes the second workspace, the first stream, and the second stream to be displayed on the second display.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a third display system that includes;

a third display, and

a third appliance that has;

a third memory storing a third client application, and

a third processor that, in conjunction with executing the third client application;

receives the first stream,

receives the second stream,

generates a third workspace that includes the first stream and the second stream, and

causes the third workspace, the first stream, and the second stream to be displayed on the third display.