Systems and methodologies providing controlled voice and data communication among a plurality of computing appliances associated as team members of at least one respective team or of a plurality of teams and sub-teams within the teams

• US 8,918,724 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Collaboration Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: David H Sitrick
• Inventors: Sitrick, David H., Fling, Russell T.
• Primary Examiner(s): TITCOMB, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US13/102,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 715/753, 715/741
• US Class Current: 715/751
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

A system and methodology for communication and collaboration among a plurality of computing appliances associated as team members. The system is comprised of: at least one local communication means for use by at least one local team member, and conveying data (preferably media data and collaboration data); at least one other communication means for use by at least one other team member, and conveying data. Gateway means conveys data between each of the communication means. Network means links said at least one local communication means, and, said at least one other communication means, and enables the conveyance of the data. Display means provides a display presentation of a display image of display image data, for viewing by respective users at each of said at least one local communication means and said at least one other communication means. Input means provides annotation data representative of a respective user providing an input of annotations made relative to viewing the display of the common base image at a respective display apparatus at each of said at both the communication means (local and other). Storage means stores the annotation data as associated with the respective user at each of said local and said other communication means. Selection means permits selection as to which of the annotation data is selected annotation data. A display apparatus provides a combined display presentation responsive to the display image data and to the selected annotation data.

Claims

1. A system for collaborating among a plurality of users each said user utilizing an associated computing appliance having a display apparatus and an input apparatus providing an output of data having an associated image and associated with said user providing the input, the system comprising:

memory logic providing structured storage in a plurality of parts of a non-transitory memory;

mapping logic exclusively associating each said user with at least one of the plurality of parts to provide for storage of the data associated with said user;

input logic permitting at least two of the users to provide concurrent input of the data while viewing a same display presentation image on the display apparatus of the computing appliance associated with each said user;

storage logic providing selective storage and retrieval of the data associated with each said user, for at least two said users, in the memory responsive to the mapping logic and the input logic; and

,

display logic providing an updated display presentation on the display apparatus of at least one of the computing appliances, responsive to the mapping logic and the storage.

2. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the plurality of parts of memory are comprised of a plurality of storage locations that are associated together to form an associated data layer that provides storage associated with the user that provided the input of the data being stored.

3. The system as in claim 2,

wherein the mapping logic associates each of the users to a unique one of the data layers;

and

wherein the storage logic provides storage of the data in the associated data layer responsive to the mapping logic;

wherein the display logic creates the updated display presentation at at least one of the computing appliances, responsive to the mapping logic and the storage.

4. The system as in claim 2,

wherein the mapping logic is comprised of a mapping memory storing a plurality of user layer list comprising one said user layer list associated with each of said user;

wherein each said user layer list is comprised of a respective list of pointers for each of the plurality of users, pointing to specific ones of the data layers associated and defining which of the data layers are to be associated with each said respective user; and

wherein there are a plurality of separate user display apparatus for each of a plurality of respective said users providing a respective local display presentation on each said local user display apparatus responsive to the respective user layer list associated with said user and to the memory.

5. The system as in claim 2,

wherein the mapping logic is comprised of a table memory storing a mapping table providing mapping of each of the users to the associated data layer.

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

facilitator logic creating a user mapping associating each of the users with one of the computing appliances and with the input of the data from said computing appliance;

wherein the mapping logic is responsive to the facilitator logic.

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

user selection logic selecting at least one of the users as selected users;

wherein the display logic provides the updated display presentation on the display apparatus of at least one of the computing appliances, responsive to the mapping logic and the parts of a memory associated with the selected users.

8. The system as in claim 1,

selection logic selecting from the associated images associated with at least one of the users to provide selected images;

wherein the display logic provides the updated display presentation on the display apparatus of at least one of the computing appliances, responsive to the mapping logic and the parts of a memory associated with the selected images.

9. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the display logic provides

a first display of a specific image,

then a display of annotations as input by at least one said user to said user, then a display of the annotations as input by at least two of the users.

10. The system as in claim 2,

wherein the mapping logic provides storage of a plurality of user layer lists, each said user layer list associated with one said user;

wherein each said user layer list comprises a pointer list indexing each said user to be associated with one said data layer;

wherein the data, representative of displayable information is retrieved from at least one said data layer associated with one said user responsive to the user layer list;

wherein the display logic combines the displayable information for each respective user responsive to the respective user layer list for said each respective user, to provide data for combined displayable information for said each respective user and provides a presentation for each said respective user of the combined displayable information for each said respective user.

11. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the plurality of parts of memory are comprised of a plurality of data layers;

wherein the mapping logic exclusively associates each said user with at least one of the data layers to provide storage of the data associated with said user;

the system further comprising;

list logic providing a plurality of user layer lists comprised of one said user layer list for each of a plurality of respective said users;

wherein each said user layer list is comprised of a respective list of pointers for each of the plurality of users, pointing to specific ones of the data layers and defining which of the layers are to be associated with each said respective said user responsive to the mapping logic; and

wherein the display logic provides the updated display presentation on a plurality of the display apparatus each providing a separate display presentation responsive to the respective said user layer list, the memory, and the mapping logic.

12. The system as in claim 11,

wherein the memory is global memory located at a centralized location;

wherein the plurality of data layers is comprised of a plurality of global data layers;

wherein each said user layer list is comprised of a respective list of pointers for each of the plurality of users, pointing to specific ones of the global data layers and defining which of the global data layers are to be associated with said associated user; and

wherein said local display presentation is provided responsive to the user layer list and the global memory.

13. The system as in claim 11, further comprising:

input apparatus providing annotation data having a corresponding display, provided responsive to an input of annotations by a respective said user as made while viewing a display of a base document for each of two said users providing the input;

wherein the memory stores the annotation data in a mapped structure wherein the stored annotation data is associated with the respective said user making the input of said annotation data and is stored in the data layer that is associated with the user providing the input.

14. The system as in claim 11, further comprising:

user selection logic, providing selection of at least one of the users as selected users;

wherein the local display presentation is provided responsive to the annotation data stored in the data layers associated with the selected users.

15. The system as in claim 11,

wherein the memory is global memory located at a centralized location;

wherein the memory logic, input logic and storage logic are located at the centralized location.

16. The system as in claim 11,

wherein the display logic provides a display output to each of at least two said users, of an individualized said updated presentation, provided responsive to the memory and to the user layer lists associated with each said user.

17. The system as in claim 11,

wherein each said list of pointers is further comprised of a control flag associated with each of the data layers in said list of pointers;

and

wherein said control flag is utilized to selectively enable, at any given time, one of the data layers to be utilized for storing the data as input by the associated said user in the associated said data layer responsive to said list of pointers.

18. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the display logic concurrently provides a different said updated display presentation for at least two of the users.

19. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the plurality of parts of memory are comprised of a plurality of data layers;

wherein the mapping logic exclusively associates each said user with at least one of the data layers to provide storage of the data associated with said user;

the system further comprising;

list logic providing a plurality of user layer lists comprised of one said user layer list for each of a plurality of respective said users;

list memory, storing a plurality of user layer lists for each of a plurality of said users, each of the plurality of user layer lists comprising a pointer list indexing said respective user to a plurality of respective associated said data layers;

wherein the storage logic selects the associated said data layers associated with each said user layer list responsive to the respective pointer list for each said respective user;

wherein the display logic is responsive to the user layer list for each respective said user, to provide the updated display presentation to said respective said user, responsive to combining the data for all of the data layers retrieved for each respective said user responsive to the layer list associated with said respective said user, so as to create combined layer display information for said respective said user; and

wherein the updated display presentation for said respective said user is provided responsive to the combined layer display information for said respective said user.

32. The system as in claim 1,

wherein the memory is located at a centralized location, and in a plurality of the computing appliances at remote locations remote to the centralized location.

20. A method for collaborating among a plurality of users, each said user utilizing an associated computing appliance having a display apparatus and an input apparatus providing an output of data having an associated image and associated with said user providing the input, the method comprising:

providing structured storage in a plurality of parts of a non-transitory memory;

exclusively associating each said user with at least one of the plurality of parts to provide for storage of the data associated with said user;

permitting at least two of the users to provide concurrent input of the data while a same display presentation image is provided for viewing on the display apparatus of the computing appliance associated with each said user;

providing selective storage and retrieval of the data associated with each said user, for at least two said users, in the memory responsive to the exclusively associating and the input of the data; and

,

providing an updated display presentation on the display apparatus of at least one of the computing appliances, responsive to the exclusively associating and the storage.

21. The method as in claim 20,

wherein the plurality of parts of memory are comprised of a plurality of storage locations that are associated together to form an associated data layer that provides storage associated with the user that provided the input of the data being stored.

wherein the memory is structured for storage of the data for a plurality of the users as layer data for each user stored in a plurality of the data layers comprised of at least two parts of the memory providing storage associated as a data layer;

wherein the mapping logic associates each of the users to a unique one of the data layers; and

wherein the storage logic providing storage of the data in the associated data layer responsive to the mapping logic; and

wherein the display logic creates a display presentation at at least one of the computing appliances, responsive to the exclusive associating and the storage.

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

selecting which of the data layers are enabled data layers associated with each said user;

retrieving at least some of said data from the enabled data layers as selected data;

wherein the providing the updated display presentation is responsive to the selected data.

23. The method as in claim 21,

wherein the mapping logic is comprised of a mapping memory storing a plurality of user layer lists comprising one said user layer list associated with each said user;

wherein each said user layer list is comprised of a respective list of pointers pointing to specific ones of the data layers associated and defining which of the data layers are to be associated with each respective said user for each of the plurality of users; and

wherein each of a plurality of separate user display apparatus for each of a plurality of said users provide a respective said local display presentation on said separate user display apparatus responsive to the respective said user layer list and the memory.

24. The method as in claim 23,

wherein each said list of pointers is further comprised of a control flag field associated with each of the data layers, the method further comprising:

utilizing said control flag field to selectively enable at any given time, one of the data layers to be an enabled data layer that is utilized to provide the data associated therewith to use in providing the updated display presentation.

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

enabling as enabled layers, at least one said data layer as pointed to in the user layer list as associated with each said user, for storage of the data associated with each said user in the layer associated with said user; and

,

providing the updated display presentation responsive to the data in the enabled layers.

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

enabling as an enabled layer, at least one said data layer as pointed to in the user layer list as associated with each said user, to provide for storage of the data as input by the associated said user providing the input;

wherein the data as input by each said user is stored in the data layer pointed to in said user layer list that is associated with said user.

27. A system for supporting collaboration at a centralized location among a plurality of users at remote locations remote to the centralized location, each said user utilizing an associated computing appliance having a display apparatus and an input apparatus providing an output of data having an associated image and associated with said user providing the input, the system comprising:

memory logic providing structured storage in a plurality of parts of a non-transitory memory;

mapping logic at the centralized location exclusively associating each said user with at least one of the plurality of parts to provide for storage in the memory of the data associated with said user;

input logic at the centralized location permitting at least two of the users to provide concurrent input at the remote locations, of the data, while a same display presentation image is provided for viewing at the remote location on the display apparatus of the computing appliance associated with each said user;

storage logic providing selective storage of the data associated with each said user, for at least two said users, in the memory responsive to the mapping logic and the input logic; and

,

display logic providing an updated display presentation on the display apparatus of at least one of the computing appliances, responsive to the mapping logic and the storage logic.

28. The system as in claim 27,

wherein the memory logic provides the structured storage at the centralized location.

29. The system as in claim 27,

wherein the display logic is located at the centralized location.

30. The system as in claim 27,

wherein the memory is located at the centralized location.

31. The system as in claim 27,

wherein the memory is distributed and located in a plurality of the computing appliances.

33. The system as in claim 27,

wherein the memory is located in the centralized location and is located in a plurality of the computing appliances.

34. The system as in claim 27,

wherein the display logic provides an updated display presentation on the display apparatus of at least two of the users, responsive to the mapping logic and the storage.

35. The system as in claim 27,

wherein the storage logic is located at the centralized location.