Systems And Methods Providing Collaborating Among A Plurality Of Users Each At A Respective Computing Appliance, And Providing Storage In Respective Data Layers Of Respective User Data, Provided Responsive To A Respective User Input, And Utilizing Event Processing Of Event Content Stored In The Data Layers

• US 20130024418A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collaboration Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: David H Sitrick
• Inventors: Fling, Russell T., Sitrick, David H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

A plurality of computing appliances, each used by a respective user, provide for collaboration on a common project having an associated base image display. Data is stored in each of a plurality of separate respective data layers, of respective user data associated with a respective display for a respective user, responsive to user input. The user data is comprised of event content data (comprised of change reference data, and change content data, wherein the event content data is representative of a unique event, for each input by the respective user) generated in a defined order of entry relative to other of the events. Mapping logic defines a mapping of event content to corresponding respective data layers. A plurality of events is selected as a selected set of events. Event content data for said events in the selected set are retrieved from respective data layers, and used to generate presentation data.

Claims

1. A system for collaboration, comprising:

a plurality of computing appliances each for use by each of a respective user of a plurality of users, in providing for collaboration on a common project having an associated base image display;

layer storage comprising a plurality of separate respective data layers of storage;

wherein each said separate respective data layer provides associatively mapped storage of respective user data associated with a respective display for a respective user of the plurality of users;

wherein each said data layer of storage stores respective user data that is representative of a respective display of annotations responsive to a user input by the respective user;

wherein the user data is comprised of event content data for respective events generated in a defined order of entry relative to other of the events, responsive to the input by the respective user;

wherein the event content data is comprised of change reference data, and change content data, wherein the event content data is representative of a unique event, for each input by the respective user;

mapping logic defining a mapping of the event content to a corresponding respective said data layer associatively mapped for the respective user associated with the respective said event;

the system further comprising;

view control logic selecting a plurality of the events as a selected set of events for viewing;

presentation assembly logic, selectively retrieving respective said event content data for said events in the selected set, from respective said data layers, responsive to the mapping logic, and generating of presentation data responsive to processing the event content data for said events in the selected set, in a respective defined order of entry relative to other of the events relative to all other of the events in the selected set; and

display apparatus providing a presentation responsive to the presentation data.

2. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the defined order of entry is determined responsive to at least one of:

listing of respective ones of the events in a table responsive to choice by one of the users;

listing of respective ones of the events in a table generated automatically by the system;

according to a set of default criteria; and

analyzing of the event content data for the events in the selected set.

3. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the presentation assembly logic is further comprised of:

layer selection logic, responsive to the mapping logic, providing a respective output of said separate respective data layer for each of the respective one of at least two of the users, for each of the events in the selected set; and

display generation logic providing generation of the presentation data for the presentation utilizing the event content for selected events from respective storage in respective said selected layers responsive to the layer selection logic, responsive to the respective output.

4. The system as in claim 1,

wherein each said user is associated with a separate said display apparatus of a respective said computing appliance, which provides a local display presentation thereupon of a respective combined presentation comprising a display of at least some annotations as input by at least two of the plurality of users.

5. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the respective computing appliance for each respective user is comprised of local view control logic providing selection of respective selected ones of the events as a local selected set of events;

and

wherein the display generation at each said respective computing appliance is responsive to the event content associated with the local selected set of events.

6. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the view control logic is responsive to selection of respective said event content by a respective said user for use in generation of separate associated display presentations at each of at least two of separate display apparatus.

7. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the view control logic is responsive to selection by a respective said user to control selection as to utilization of certain selected ones of said events for use in the generating of presentation data.

8. The system as in claim 3, further comprising:

display enable control logic defining a display enable mode defining one of an enabled display state and a disabled display state, for each of a plurality of respective data layers for each of the respective plurality of users, on a user-by-user individual basis as to each individual said user of the plurality of users; and

wherein the display generation is responsive to the display enable mode for each of a plurality of respective data layers for controlling showing of only the events associated with the selected ones of the users in the combined display presentation.

9. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

edit control logic, responsive to the user input, for generating events comprised of the event content data comprising an event-ID, change reference data, and change data; and

wherein the defined order is determined by the presentation assembly logic responsive to respective said change reference data and respective said event-ID.

10. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the layer storage is further comprised of a base layer of storage storing base image data representative of a respective base image display;

and

wherein the display control logic provides selection of the base layer and at least one of the plurality of data layers as a selected data layer that provides respective said event content for the selected events, to be utilized in the display generation, responsive to the mapping logic.

11. The system as in claim 1,

wherein each of the plurality of computing appliances is associated with a respective one user of the plurality of users;

wherein each at least two of the plurality of computing appliances is further comprised of local layer storage of data layers;

wherein changes to the respective user data for at least one user is stored in respective associated said local layer storage of each of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances; and

wherein said changes to the respective user data are communicated between each of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances, to provide updating, so that the respective said local layer storage of each one of the at least two of the plurality of computing appliances is updated to contain a same stored data content comprised at least in part of the changes.

12. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the layer storage is comprised of sets of data layers stored in a centralized layer storage and duplicated and stored in a plurality of local data layers of storage in at least two of the plurality of computing appliances;

wherein each of the plurality of computing appliances is associated with a respective one of the plurality of users;

wherein each of the plurality of computing appliances is associated with a respective data layer in said respective local layers of storage in said at least two of said respective plurality of computing appliances;

wherein changes to the user data in any of the sets of local data layers, are communicated to all other ones of the sets of local data layers; and

wherein storage of the event content data in the centralized layer storage and the in each of the respective plurality of local layer storage, is synchronized and updated repetitively.

13. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the layer storage is comprised of sets of data layers stored in layer storage and duplicated amongst and stored in a plurality of local data layers of storage in at least two of the plurality of computing appliances;

wherein each of the plurality of computing appliances is associated with a respective one of the plurality of users;

wherein each of the plurality of computing appliances is associated with a respective data layer in said respective local layers of storage in said at least two of said respective plurality of computing appliances;

wherein changes to the user data in any of the sets of local data layers, are communicated to all other ones of the sets of local data layers; and

wherein storage of the event content data in each of the respective plurality of local layer storage, is synchronized and updated repetitively.

14. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

communication apparatus providing voice communication between each of at least two of the plurality of users, during the respective display presentation to the respective users.

15. The system as in claim 11,

wherein the updating provides for copying the changed user data from a first said respective one of the computing appliances to all other ones of the other ones of the plurality of computing appliances.

16. A method of collaborating, the method comprising:

utilizing a plurality of computing appliances each for use by a respective user of a plurality of users, in working on a common project having an associated base image display;

providing associatively mapped storage in a respective data layer, within layer storage comprising a plurality of separate respective data layers of storage of respective user data associated with a respective display of respective user data that is associated with input by a specific respective user of the plurality of users in a defined order relative to other of the events;

wherein each said data layer of storage stores respective user data that is representative of a respective display of annotations as input by a respective said user;

wherein the user data is comprised of event content data for respective events generated responsive to the input by the respective said user;

wherein the event content data is comprised of respective change reference data, and respective change content data, representative of a respective event, for each input by the respective user;

the method further comprising;

providing selection of a plurality of the events as a selected set of events;

processing the event content for the events in the selected set in a respective order relative to the defined order of the events in the selected set, to generate the presentation data;

processing for display generation pursuant to logic defined responsive to the event content data;

utilizing respective said event content data for selected ones respective said data layers, to provide the user data for generation of respective said presentation data for a combined display presentation for each respective one of at least two of the users, the selected set of events; and

generating the combined display presentation responsive to the respective said presentation data for the selected set of events.

17. The method as in claim 16,

wherein the combined display presentation shows the collaboration of the respective ones of the users.

18. The method as in claim 16, further comprising:

separately controlling the display generation of a local display presentation for each user to provide for selective inclusion of the data layers in the display generation.

19. The method as in claim 16, further comprising:

providing for selection of associated selected ones of the events responsive to a selection of selected ones of the respective users; and

wherein the providing the display generation is responsive to the event content for the associated selected ones of the events.

20. The method as in claim 16, further comprising:

storing changes to the respective user data for at least one user in the respective local layer of storage associated with said respective user, for each of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances; and

communicating each of said changes between each of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances so that the respective said local layer of storage of each one of the at least two of the plurality of computing appliances is updated to contain a same content.

21. The method as in claim 16, further comprising:

providing voice communication between each of at least two of the plurality of users, during the respective display presentation to the respective users.

22. A method supporting collaborating among a plurality of users each user at a respective associated one of a plurality of computing appliances;

the method further comprising;

providing storage in a respective one of a plurality of data layers within a memory, of respective user data, and provided responsive to a respective input by a respective user, wherein the event content is stored in a respective one of the data layers that is associatively mapped to the respective user providing the respective said input of the event content;

wherein the user data is comprised of event content data for respective events generated responsive to the input by the respective user;

wherein the event content data is comprised of change reference data, and change content data, representative of an event, for each input by the respective user;

the method further comprising;

providing selection of a plurality of the events as a selected set of events;

defining a mapping of the event content to the respective data layer associatively mapped for the respective user associated with the respective said event;

processing the event content data for the events in the selected set in a defined order responsive to the change reference data, and from the layers as defined by the mapping as stored in at least two of the data layers, to generate presentation data; and

generating a local display presentation at each of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances responsive to the presentation data for the respective said selected set of events.

23. The method as in claim 22,

wherein the events are entered in an entry order of input;

and

wherein the events in the selected set can comprise less than all the events between a first event and a last event within an ordering of the entry order of input.

24. The method as in claim 22,

wherein the change reference data identifies a position relative to another event.

25. The method as in claim 22,

wherein for each respective one of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances, the respective user data is representative of a display presentation of annotations originated at a respective associated computing appliance;

the method further comprising;

providing communication of the user data between the at least two of the plurality of computing appliances for storage of the user data in corresponding respective ones of the data layers; and

providing a local display presentation at each of said at least two of the plurality of computing appliances responsive to the storage of the user data from the communication.

26. The method as in claim 22,

wherein for each respective one of at least two of the plurality of computing appliances, the respective user data is representative of a display presentation of annotations originated at a respective associated computing appliance;

the method comprising;

wherein each of the respective computing appliances has an input apparatus which is responsive to the respective user of said each respective one of the respective computing appliances, to provide event content data for respective said events, responsive to the user input for said respective user; and

wherein the respective said event content data is stored in a respective associated one of the data layers responsive to the mapping and which event content data is representative of annotations made by the respective user relative to viewing a display presentation locally generated on said respective one of the plurality of computing appliances responsive to the respective presentation data for the selected set of events.

27. The method as in claim 22,

selecting at least two of the computing appliances as members of a same defined team;

and

providing a display presentation comprising a same set of selected ones of the events for all the computing appliances that are the members of the same defined team.

28. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

selecting at one of the computing appliances, which of the events are selected events in the selected set of events that are to be used in generation of the presentation;

communicating the user data for the selected events from the one of the computing appliances, to other ones of the computing appliances in the defined team; and

generating the display presentation at all of said computing appliances in the defined team, each using the communicated said user data.

29. The method as in claim 27,

wherein there is more than one defined team, each comprised of at least two of the computing appliances;

and

wherein there is a common display presentation provided to the computing appliances on a same said defined team.

30. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

providing duplicate storage of the user data in respective said data layers in the respective said memory within each of a respective plurality of local data layers in a respective said local data storage in a respective local memory within each respective computing appliance of said plurality of computing appliances;

assigning and associating which of the data layers are to be used for storage of respective event content data, as to each of the plurality of computing appliances;

selecting at one of the computing appliances, which of the data layers are selected layers to be used in the display generation; and

generating the local display presentation at the respective computing appliance responsive to the selected data layers from the respective local data storage.

31. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

providing local selection of which of said events are utilized in the generation of the display presentation at each one of said plurality of computing appliances.

32. The method as in claim 31, further comprising:

selectively mapping an associated at least one of the data layers from the memory as a leader data layer for storage of display related data provided for a respective one of the plurality of users and is representative of a display presentation associated with input by the respective one of the plurality of users; and

generating the display presentation at each one of said plurality of computing appliances, responsive to at least the leader data layer.

33. The method as in claim 32, further comprising:

selectively enabling at least one other of the data layers from the memory to be used as a user data layer for storing display related data for a selected user;

wherein said display related data is representative of a display presentation associated with input by the selected user; and

generating the display presentation on at least one of said plurality of computing appliances responsive to the user data layer for the selected user of the respective said one computing appliance, and responsive to the leader data layer.

34. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

selecting at least two of the computing appliances as members of a same defined team;

selecting certain ones of the plurality of data layers as selected data layers of data storage in the memory; and

utilizing the selected data layers for storage of respective event content data responsive to input from at least two of the plurality of computing appliances in the same defined team.

35. The method as in claim 22,

wherein each of the computing appliances has a role designation;

the method further comprising;

selecting a grouping of the data layers as selected data layers responsive to the role designation; and

generating the respective display presentation at each of the plurality of computing appliances responsive to the selected data layers responsive to the role designation of each respective one of said plurality of computing appliances.