Dynamically determining workspace bounds during a collaboration session

• US 9,787,731 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Dere, Colin, Manarang, Elmar, Arnoldin, Erica, Rounding, Kathryn
• Primary Examiner(s): Marinelli, Patrick F
• Application Number:
  US14/672,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20150277656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A method is described for dynamically determining session boundary coordinates within a canvas. As described, an initial explored area of the canvas is defined. The initial explored area is expanded. When the size of the expanded explored area of the canvas reaches a predefined maximum size, the explored area coordinates are set as the session boundary coordinates. A computing device and a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions configured to implement the method are also described.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically determining session boundary coordinates within a canvas that is provided as a two-dimensional digital workspace, the method comprising:

generating, at a host server hosting a collaboration session, the canvas for presentation by one or more computing devices participating in the collaboration session, wherein the canvas is configured to be shared by users operating the one or more computing devices;

setting an initial explored area of the canvas for viewing at the one or more computing devices;

displaying the initial explored area associated within one or more fields of view of the canvas presented at the one or more computing devices;

annotating the initial explored area;

in response to detecting, at the host server, one or more interactions with at least a portion of the canvas presented at the one or more computing devices;

until the initial explored area of the canvas achieves a maximum size;

upon detecting that the one or more interactions relate to user-provided adjustments of the initial explored area to create a second explored area of the canvas displayed within the one or more fields of view presented at the one or more computing devices, annotating the second explored area as part of the initial explored area,

monitoring that the initial explored area of the canvas is within the maximum size of the canvas, and

upon determining that the initial explored area of the canvas has reached the maximum size of the canvas based on expansion of the second explored area produced from user-provided adjustments, setting coordinates of the initial explored area of the canvas as session boundary coordinates of the canvas, and

upon detecting additional user-provided adjustments of the initial explored area of the canvas, when the initial explored area of the canvas has reached the maximum size of the canvas and the coordinates of the initial explored area of the canvas are set as the session boundary coordinates of the canvas, preventing alteration of the initial explored area of the canvas beyond the session boundary coordinates the canvas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial explored area is expanded in response to detecting the user-provided adjustments of the initial explored area of the canvas to include previously unexplored areas of the canvas.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the session boundary coordinates of the canvas are deleted upon termination of a collaboration session.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein annotations created by the one or more users during the collaboration session are stored in memory upon the termination of the collaboration session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial explored area is defined based at least greater than or equal to a greatest resolution of the one or more computing devices likely to access the canvas.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial explored area is based on a resolution of the one or more computing devices accessing the canvas during a collaboration session.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the initial explored area is defined based on a minimum area covered for accommodating the annotations stored in the memory from a previous collaboration session.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum size includes a maximum length and a maximum height, wherein the maximum length is selected independently of the maximum height.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices includes at least one of:

a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, and an interactive input system.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial explored area is defined based on a first resolution of the first computing device accessing the canvas, further comprising:

upon detecting that a second computing device with a second resolution greater than the first resolution is accessing the canvas, modifying the initial explored area to accommodate the second resolution of the second computing device, the first computing device and the second computing device included in the one or more computing devices.

3. The method of 1, further comprising:

inhibiting one or more users of the collaboration session operating the one or more computing devices from adjusting the respective fields of view of the one or more users beyond the session boundary coordinates of the canvas.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for determining session boundary coordinates within a canvas that is provided as a two-dimensional digital workspace, wherein the instructions when executed by a host server, cause the host server to:

generate, at the host server hosting a collaboration session, the canvas for presentation by one or more computing devices participating in the collaboration session, wherein the canvas is configured to be shared by users operating the one or more computing devices;

set an initial explored area of the canvas for display within one or more fields of view presented at the one or more computing devices;

annotate the initial explored area;

upon detecting user-provided adjustments of the initial explored area of the canvas to create a second explored area of the canvas displayed within the one or more fields of view presented at the one or more computing devices, annotate the second explored area as part of the initial explored area;

upon determining that the initial explored area of the canvas has reached a maximum size of the canvas based on expansion of the second explored area produced from the user-provided adjustments, set coordinates of the initial explored area of the canvas as session boundary coordinates of the canvas; and

upon detecting additional user-provided adjustments of the initial explored area of the canvas, prevent alteration of the session boundary coordinates of the canvas.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the initial explored area is expanded in response to detecting the user-provided adjustments of the initial explored area of the canvas to include previously unexplored areas of the canvas.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising instructions to:

inhibit one or more users of the collaboration session operating the one or more computing devices from adjusting the respective fields of view of the one or more users beyond the session boundary coordinates of the canvas.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the session boundary coordinates of the canvas are deleted upon termination of a collaboration session.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein annotations created by the one or more users during the collaboration session are stored in memory upon the termination of the collaboration session.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the initial explored area is defined based at least greater than or equal to a greatest resolution of the one or more computing devices likely to access the canvas.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the initial explored area is based on a resolution of the one or more computing devices accessing the canvas during a collaboration session.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the initial explored area is defined based on a minimum area covered for accommodating the annotations stored in the memory from a previous collaboration session.

17. A host server comprising:

a communication interface for communicating with one or more computing devices;

memory for storing instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions which cause the host server to;

set an initial explored area of the canvas for display within one or more fields of view presented at the one or more computing devices, wherein the canvas is provided as a two-dimensional digital workspace for collaboration by users participating in a collaboration session and operating the one or more computing devices;

annotate the initial explored area;

upon detecting user-provided adjustments of the initial explored area to create a second explored area of the canvas displayed within the one or more fields of view presented at the one or more computing devices, annotate the second explored area as part of the initial explored area;

upon determining that the initial explored area of the canvas reaches a maximum size of the canvas based on expansion of the second explored area produced from the user-provided adjustments, set coordinates of the initial explored area of the canvas as session boundary coordinates of the canvas; and

upon detecting additional user-provided adjustments of the initial explored area of the canvas, prevent alteration of the session boundary coordinates of the canvas.