Methods and apparatus for remote interaction using a partitioned display

• US 8,286,084 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2009
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Swakker LLC
• Original Assignee: Swakker LLC
• Inventors: Castleman, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): PHANTANA ANGKOOL, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/480,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20100309195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/753, 715/778
• US Class Current: 715/751
• 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: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission

Abstract

In some embodiments, a processor-readable medium includes code representing instructions to cause a processor to perform a process. The code stored by the processor-readable medium includes code to cause the processor to allocate a portion of a display screen of a first device to be uniquely associated with a second device and to send to the second device a directive representing a symbol appearing on the display screen when a user-selected indicator is received. The user-selected indicator is associated with the portion of the display screen of the first device. The first device is mutually exclusive from the second device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying a first portion of a canvas on a display screen;

sending a first directive to a remote device associated with a second portion of the canvas when a position of a first symbol on the first portion of the canvas is within an area on the first portion of the canvas uniquely associated with the second portion of the canvas, the first directive causing the remote device associated with the second portion of the canvas to display the first symbol on the second portion of the canvas, the first portion of the canvas being mutually exclusive from the second portion of the canvas; and

sending a second directive to a remote device associated with a third portion of the canvas when a position of a second symbol on the first portion of the canvas is within an area on the first portion of the canvas uniquely associated with the third portion of the canvas, the second directive causing the remote device associated with the third portion of the canvas to display the second symbol on the third portion of the canvas, the third portion of the canvas being mutually exclusive from the first portion of the canvas and the second portion of the canvas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the canvas is associated with a first user and the second portion of the canvas is associated with a second user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first directive includes a behavior profile having information about a behavior of the first symbol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first directive includes a behavior profile having information about a motion path of the first symbol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first directive includes a behavior profile having information about a motion path of the first symbol such that the first symbol appears to be moving on the second portion of the canvas in substantially a same path in which the first symbol was moved to the position of the first symbol on the first portion of the canvas when the first symbol is displayed on the second portion of the canvas.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third directive from the remote device associated with the second portion of the canvas, the third directive being associated with a third symbol; and

displaying the third symbol within the area on the first portion of the canvas uniquely associated with the second portion of the canvas.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the first directive includes sending the first directive to the remote device associated with the second portion of the canvas when the first symbol is moved from an area on the first portion of the canvas not associated with the second portion of the canvas to the area on the first portion of the canvas uniquely associated with the second portion of the canvas.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the area on the first portion of the canvas uniquely associated with the second portion of the canvas does not display the second portion of the canvas.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving a first directive from a first device, the first directive being associated with a first symbol displayed on a display screen of the first device;

storing the first directive in a memory;

sending the first directive to a second device when a first user-selected indicator is received, the first user-selected indicator being associated with a first area on the display screen of the first device, the first area being uniquely associated with the second device;

receiving a second directive from the first device, the second directive being associated with a second symbol displayed on the display screen of the first device;

storing the second directive in the memory; and

sending the second directive to a third device when a second user-selected indicator is received, the second user-selected indicator being associated with a second area on the display screen of the first device, the second area being uniquely associated with the third device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first user-selected indicator is received in response to a user initiated indication on the display screen associated with moving the first symbol in a direction of the first area on the display screen.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first user-selected indicator is received in response to a user initiated indication within the first area on the display screen.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first directive contains an image resource.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first directive includes a behavior profile having information about a behavior of the first symbol.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first directive is sent to the second device when the second device is active at a time subsequent to the receiving the first directive from the first device, the second device is inactive when the first directive is received from the first device.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

defining the first area on the display screen of the first device; and

associating the first area on the display screen of the first device with the second device.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending a notification to the second device prior to sending the first directive to the second device.

20. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the first user-selected indicator in response to the first symbol being moved from an area on the display screen of the first device not associated with the second device to the first area on the display screen of the first device.

17. A device, comprising:

a processor;

a display screen; and

a memory containing instructions to cause the processor to uniquely associate a first portion of the display screen with a first remote mobile device, the processor configured to send a first directive to the first remote mobile device when the processor receives a signal indicating an action was performed within the first portion of the display screen, the first directive being associated with a first symbol,

the processor configured to uniquely associate a second portion of the display screen with a second remote mobile device, the processor configured to send a second directive to the second remote mobile device when the processor receives a signal indicating an action was performed within the second portion of the display screen, the second directive being associated with a second symbol, the first portion of the display screen being mutually exclusive from the second portion of the display screen.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the signal indicating the action was performed within the first portion of the display screen is received when a user enters the first symbol within the first portion of the display screen.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the signal indicating the action was performed within the first portion of the display screen is received when a user moves the first symbol in a direction of the first portion of the display screen.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein the signal indicating that the action was performed within the first portion of the display screen is received when the first symbol is moved from a portion of the display screen not uniquely associated with the first remote mobile device to the first portion of the display screen.