Integration of videoconferencing with interactive electronic whiteboard appliances

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10904487-B2
Application number	US-201916507952-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2019
Priority date	May 9, 2015
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

An interactive whiteboard appliance includes the capability to integrate and manage, in a user-friendly manner, interactive electronic whiteboard sessions and videoconferencing sessions between the interactive whiteboard appliance and one or more client devices. An application manager executing on the interactive whiteboard appliance manages an interactive whiteboard application and a collaboration client executing on the interactive whiteboard appliance to maintain a videoconferencing session window on top of an interactive whiteboard session window during videoconferencing sessions. The application manager also provides graphical user interface controls displayed on the interactive whiteboard appliance that allow users to initiate and manage interactive electronic whiteboard sessions and videoconferencing sessions, including switching between interactive electronic whiteboard sessions and videoconferencing sessions. The approach may be implemented on interactive whiteboard appliances that are not natively configured to allow users to select and/or switch control between an interactive whiteboard session window and a videoconferencing session window.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A whiteboard device comprising:
a display;
a network interface;
one or more processors; and
one or more memories communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memories storing instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors; cause:
an interactive whiteboard session window, including at least an interactive whiteboard session content area, to be displayed on the display, wherein a selection menu to receive an instruction for starting a video conference session is overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window; and
after receiving the instruction for starting the video conference session via the selection menu overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window, a videoconference window to be overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window.

2. The whiteboard device of claim 1 , wherein the videoconference window displays at least content from a device of a participant of the video conference session.

3. The whiteboard device of claim 1 , wherein processing of the instructions further causes:
after the videoconference window being overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window, display a second selection menu to receive an instruction for stopping the video conference session overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window.

4. The whiteboard device of claim 1 , wherein the videoconferencing window is maintained on top of the interactive whiteboard window during a videoconferencing session.

5. The whiteboard device of claim 1 , wherein processing of the instructions further causes the interactive whiteboard session window to be moved on top of the videoconference window in response to termination of the video conference session.

6. The whiteboard device of claim 1 , wherein processing of the instructions further causes an interactive whiteboard session to be shared with the one or more client devices that are external to the whiteboard device by invoking functionality provided by a collaboration library on the whiteboard device.

7. The whiteboard device of claim 1 , wherein processing of the instructions further causes the selection menu to be updated in response to detecting a user selection of a particular control on the selection menu for switching between an interactive whiteboard session and the video conference session.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:
an interactive whiteboard session window, including at least an interactive whiteboard session content area, to be displayed on a display of a whiteboard device, wherein a selection menu to receive an instruction for starting a video conference session is overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window; and
after receiving the instruction for starting the video conference session via the selection menu overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window, a videoconference window to be overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the videoconference window displays at least content from a device of a participant of the video conference session.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, causes:
after the videoconference window being overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window, display a second selection menu to receive an instruction for stopping the video conference session overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the videoconferencing window is maintained on top of the interactive whiteboard window during a videoconferencing session.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, causes the interactive whiteboard session window to be moved on top of the videoconference window in response to termination of the video conference session.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 8 , further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, causes an interactive whiteboard session to be shared with the one or more client devices that are external to the whiteboard device by invoking functionality provided by a collaboration library on the whiteboard device.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media claim 8 , further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, causes the selection menu to be updated in response to detecting a user selection of a particular control on the selection menu for switching between an interactive whiteboard session and the video conference session.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:
an interactive whiteboard session window, including at least an interactive whiteboard session content area, to be displayed on a display of a whiteboard device, wherein a selection menu to receive an instruction for starting a video conference session is overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window; and
after receiving the instruction for starting the video conference session via the selection menu overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window, a videoconference window to be overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the videoconference window displays at least content from a device of a participant of the video conference session.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , further comprising:
after the videoconference window being overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window, display a second selection menu to receive an instruction for stopping the video conference session overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session window.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the videoconferencing window is maintained on top of the interactive whiteboard window during a videoconferencing session.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , further comprising causing the interactive whiteboard session window to be moved on top of the videoconference window in response to termination of the video conference session.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , further comprising causing an interactive whiteboard session to be shared with the one or more client devices that are external to the whiteboard device by invoking functionality provided by a collaboration library on the whiteboard device.

Assignees

• Nelson Steven
• Wong Lana
• Kitada Hiroshi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nelson Steven
• Wong Lana
• Kitada Hiroshi

Classifications

• H04N7/15 Primary

  Conference systems · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  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 title

• H04L12/1827

  Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation · CPC title

• H04M7/0027

  Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication · CPC title