Systems and methods for improved application sharing in a multimedia collaboration session

• US 20050132299A1
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Chalfant, Scott, Jones, Dan, Vernon, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 10,152,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A share display in a multimedia collaboration system includes a desktop region and a non-overlapping task bar region. A collaboration program is configured to allow the desktop region to be shared with remote multimedia collaboration devices from the purposes of collaboration, but allows control functionality that the sharer does not which to share to reside in the task bar region. The task bar region is then prevented form being shared with the remote multimedia collaboration device.

Claims

1. A user interface on a display device for application sharing in a multimedia collaboration system, wherein the user interface, comprises:

a display region;

a taskbar region within the display region;

a desktop region also within the display region;

a control application running within the taskbar region;

a window within the desktop region associated with an application running within the desktop region; and

wherein the taskbar region and desktop region do not overlap within the display region.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region can be resized within the display region.

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region can be closed.

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region can be minimized.

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region can be relocated within the display region.

6. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the desktop region can be resized within the display region.

7. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the control application includes a menu of control options.

8. The user interface of claim 1, wherein a configuration associated with the taskbar region can be changed, and wherein a configuration associated with the desktop region is automatically changed in response to a change in the configuration of the task bar region.

9. The user interface of claim 8, wherein a change in the configuration associated with the task bar region includes the position and the size of the task bar region.

10. The user interface of claim 8, wherein a change in the configuration associated with the display region includes the position and the size of the display bar region.

11. The user interface of claim 2, wherein resizing the taskbar region automatically resizes the desktop region to maximize the display area within the display region without overlap between the taskbar region and the display region.

12. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the window can be resized within desktop region.

13. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the desktop region has multiple windows that can be resized within the desktop region.

14. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the taskbar region includes multiple control applications.

15. The user interface of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the desktop region is configured to be shared, while at least a portion of the task bar region is configured such that sharing is prevented.

16. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of task bar regions.

17. A multimedia collaboration system for application sharing between a local multimedia device and a remote multimedia device, wherein the system comprises:

a local multimedia device including a sharer interface on a sharer display device, wherein the sharer interface comprises;

a sharer display region;

a sharer taskbar region within the sharer display region;

a sharer desktop region also within the sharer display region;

a sharer control application running within the sharer taskbar region;

a sharer window within the sharer desktop region associated with an application running within the sharer desktop region; and

wherein the sharer taskbar region and sharer desktop region do not overlap within the sharer display region;

a remote multimedia device including a viewer interface on a viewer display device, which is coupled to the sharer display device, wherein the viewer interface comprises;

a viewer display region;

a viewer desktop region also within the viewer display region; and

a viewer window within the viewer desktop region.

18. The multimedia collaboration system of claim 17, wherein the local multimedia device further comprises a sharer collaborative application running within the sharer taskbar region.

19. The multimedia collaboration system of claim 18, wherein the sharer collaborative application is configured to allow at least a portion of the sharer desktop region to be shared with the remote multimedia device, while preventing sharing of the sharer task bar region.

20. The multimedia collaboration system of claim 19, wherein at least a portion of the viewer desktop region corresponds with at least a portion of the sharer desktop region.

21. The multimedia collaboration system of claim 20, wherein the viewer window corresponds to the sharer window.

22. A method of application sharing between a local multimedia device and a remote multimedia device in a multimedia collaboration system, the method comprising:

allocating distinct areas on a sharer display interface for a sharer taskbar region and a sharer desktop region, so that the sharer taskbar region and sharer desktop region do not overlap;

allocating distinct areas on a viewer display interface for a viewer desktop region; and

sharing at least a portion of the sharer desktop region with the remote multimedia device, while preventing any portion of the task bar region from being shared.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein sharing at least a portion of the desktop region comprises sharing a window associated with an application running in the desktop region.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising changing a configuration associated with the sharer task bar region and automatically changing a configuration associated with the sharer desktop region in response to the change to the configuration associated with the sharer task bar region.