Systems and methods for collaborative synchronous image selection

• US 10,656,807 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2018
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unanimous A I Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Unanimous A I Incorporated
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Louis B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Distefano, Gregory A
• Application Number:
  US16/147,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20190034063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 598 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/13 by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/18 through the well fluid , e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

Systems and methods for real-time collaborative computing and collective intelligence are disclosed. A collaborative application runs on a collaborative server connected to a plurality of computing devices. Collaborative sessions are run wherein a group of independent users, networked over the internet, collaboratively answer questions in real-time, thereby harnessing their collective intelligence. Methods for collaborative selection of a target point on an image displayed on the computing devices. Methods for collaborative zooming and panning of an image displayed on the computing devices.

Claims

1. A collaborative targeting system for enabling a plurality of users to jointly select a coordinate location within a graphical image during a real-time session, the system comprising:

a collaboration server configured to run a collaboration server application and to exchange real-time data with each of a plurality of networked computing devices, each of the computing devices configured to;

display a graphical image;

display a collaboratively controlled graphical pointer upon the graphical image;

receive, repeatedly in real-time, from the collaboration server, a pointer location;

update, repeatedly in real-time, the displayed location of the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer upon the graphical image in response to the received pointer location, the displayed location being substantially synchronized among the plurality of computing devices;

receive, repeatedly in real-time, user input through a user interface, the user input indicating at least in part, a desired direction of motion of the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer; and

send, repeatedly in real-time, a representation of the desired direction of motion to the central collaboration server;

wherein the collaboration server application is configured to;

receive, repeatedly in real-time, the representation of the user input from more than one of the plurality of computing devices;

determine, repeatedly in real-time, a group intent vector from the user input received from the more than one of the plurality of computing devices, the group intent vector indicating a collaboratively desired speed and direction of the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer;

determine, repeatedly in real-time, the updated pointer location for the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer based at least in part upon the group intent vector;

send, repeatedly in real-time, the pointer location to the plurality of computing devices;

determine, repeatedly, whether a speed of the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer has fallen below a threshold value;

identify a target location upon the graphical image based at least in part upon the determination that the speed of the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer has fallen below the threshold value; and

send an indication of the target location to at least one of the computing devices.

2. A collaborative targeting system for enabling a plurality of users to jointly select a coordinate location within a graphical image during a real-time session, the system comprising:

a collaboration server configured to run a collaboration server application and to exchange real-time data with each of a plurality of networked computing devices, each of the computing devices configured to;

display a graphical image;

display a collaboratively controlled graphical pointer upon the graphical image;

receive, repeatedly in real-time, from the collaboration server, a pointer location;

update, repeatedly in real-time, the displayed location of the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer upon the graphical image in response to the received pointer location, the displayed location being substantially synchronized among the plurality of computing devices;

receive, repeatedly in real-time, user input through a user interface, the user input indicating at least in part, a desired direction of motion of the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer; and

send, repeatedly in real-time, a representation of the desired direction of motion to the central collaboration server;

wherein the collaboration server application is configured to;

receive, repeatedly in real-time, the representation of the user input and from more than one of the plurality of computing devices;

determine, repeatedly in real-time, a group intent vector from the user input received from the more than one of the plurality of computing devices, the group intent vector indicating a collaboratively desired speed and direction of the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer;

determine, repeatedly in real-time, the updated pointer location for the collaboratively controlled graphical pointer based at least in part upon the group intent vector;

send, repeatedly in real-time, the pointer location to the plurality of computing devices;

determine, repeatedly, whether a magnitude of the group intent vector has fallen below a threshold value;

identify a target location upon the graphical image based at least in part upon the determination that the magnitude of the group intent vector has fallen below the threshold value for more than a threshold amount of time; and

send an indication of the target location to at least one of the computing devices.