Method, apparatus, and system for supporting multi-party collaboration between a plurality of client computers in communication with a server

• US 9,579,572 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AK Meeting IP LLC (Pueblo Nuevo LLC)
• Original Assignee: Uranus International Limited
• Inventors: Kropivny, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US14/165,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20140141884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference

Abstract

Systems, apparatus and methods related to multiple-party communications between client computers and a server in a computer network are described. A described method includes receiving, at the server from at least first one of the clients, input messages containing user input of information representing cursor movements on the first client, information identifying a content entry position with respect to the meeting content displayed on the first client, or information identifying content input by a user of the first client for display at the content entry position; transmitting output messages that include information representing either of the content entry position or the content input by the user to each of the clients; and transmitting output messages that represent said cursor movements to ones of the clients to which all output messages that include information representing either of the content entry position or the content input by the user have been transmitted.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a server for supporting multi-party communications between a plurality of client computers in communication with the server in a computer network, each client computer having meeting content displayed on an associated display area of the client computer, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of input messages at a network interface of the server from at least one of the plurality of client computers, the input messages representing user input, the input messages including (i) cursor messages including information representing cursor movements on the at least one client computer, (ii) entry position messages including information identifying a content entry position with respect to the meeting content displayed on the at least one client computer, and (iii) content messages including information identifying content input by a user of the at least one client computer for display at the content entry position;

causing a processor circuit of the server to produce an output message for each of said input messages, each output message including information corresponding to the information included in the respective input message;

causing the network interface of the server to transmit all entry position output messages and all content output messages to each of the plurality of client computers; and

for each client computer in the plurality of client computers;

if all entry position output messages and all content output messages have previously been transmitted to the client computer, causing the network interface of the server to transmit cursor output messages to the client computer;

else if all entry position output messages and all content output messages have not yet been transmitted to the client computer, causing the network interface of the server to inhibit transmission of cursor output messages to the client computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said meeting content comprises:

web page content associated with a web site accessible over the computer network;

content input by users of one or more of the client computers; and

wherein said information identifying said content entry position comprises information defining a position with respect to said web page content.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

causing said processor circuit to save said content input by users of the one or more client computers to facilitate later display of said content by loading said web page content and displaying said content input by users of the one or more client computers and said web page content.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein causing said processor circuit to save said content further comprises causing said processor circuit to save information identifying a link to the web page content.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising causing said processor circuit to:

receive a request from a further client computer to display said content;

transmit information identifying said link to the web page content to said further client computer; and

transmit said information identifying said content entry position and said information identifying said content input by the user of the at least one client computer to the further client computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display area of at least one of the client computers comprises a touch sensitive display area, and wherein receiving information representing cursor movements and information identifying the content entry position comprises receiving a touch input on said display area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of client computers comprises a handheld computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information identifying content input by the user of the at least one client computer comprises receiving one or more characters, and wherein the receiving the content entry position comprises receiving a character entry position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the character entry position comprises receiving a character entry position for displaying a first character provided by said at least one of the plurality of client computers, the method further comprising causing said processor circuit to compute a next character entry position with respect to said character entry position for displaying successive characters provided by said at least one of the plurality of client computers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein causing said processor circuit to compute said next character entry position comprises causing said processor circuit to compute one of (i) a next character entry position horizontally adjacent to the character entry position such that the successive character is displayed inline with a previously received character, or (ii) a next character entry position below character entry position such that the next character is displayed on a new line below the character entry position.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving said one or more characters comprises receiving said one or more characters in a plurality of input messages.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information identifying content input by the user of the at least one client computer comprises receiving information identifying an image for display at the content entry position.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein causing said processor circuit to produce said output messages in response to said user input provided by said input messages comprises causing said processor circuit to copy information in each of said input messages into a respective output message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving said information identifying said content entry position comprises receiving information identifying a cursor position selected by a user of the client computer.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium including codes for directing a processor circuit to implement the method of claim 1.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein causing said processor circuit to produce said output messages comprises causing the server to process the information in said input messages and to produce respective output messages based on said processing.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein causing said processor circuit to produce each of said respective output messages based on said processing comprises causing said processor circuit to determine whether the information in said input message meets a criterion.

16. A server apparatus for supporting multi-party communications between a plurality of client computers in communication with the server in a computer network, each client computer having meeting content displayed on an associated display area of the client computer, the apparatus comprising a processor circuit operably configured to:

receive a plurality of input messages at the server from at least one of the plurality of client computers, the input messages representing user input, the input messages including (i) cursor messages including information representing cursor movements on the at least one client computer, (ii) entry position messages including information identifying a content entry position with respect to the meeting content displayed on the at least one client computer, and (iii) content messages including information identifying content input by a user of the at least one client computer for display at the content entry position;

produce an output message for each of said input messages, each output message including information corresponding to the information included in the respective input message;

transmit all entry position output messages and all content output messages to each of the plurality of client computers; and

for each client computer in the plurality of client computers;

if all entry position output messages and all content output messages have previously been transmitted to the client computer, transmit cursor output messages to the client computer;

else if all entry position output messages and all content output messages have not yet been transmitted to the client computer, inhibit transmission of cursor output messages to the client computer.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to produce said output messages by causing said processor circuit to process the information in each of said input messages and to produce respective output messages based on said processing.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said processor circuit is operably configured to produce each of said respective output messages based on said processing by determining whether the information in said input message meets a criterion.