Multi-point video presentations with live annotation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11265181-B1
Application number	US-202117163444-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 30, 2021
Priority date	Jan 30, 2021
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media relate to a method for providing multi-point video presentations with live annotations within a communication platform. First, the system receives video feeds depicting imagery of a number of users. The system then determines a boundary about each user in the video feeds, with the boundaries each having an interior portion and an exterior portion. The system provides a media background for the exterior portions, then generates a composite video for each of the feeds. The system then determines that one or more client devices have annotation permissions, and receives one or more annotation inputs corresponding to at least one of the composite videos. Finally, the system updates at least one of the composite videos to additionally depict the annotation inputs within a third layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for providing multi-point video presentations with live annotations within a communication platform, comprising:
receiving a plurality of video feeds depicting imagery of a plurality of users, the video feeds each having multiple video frames;
determining a boundary about each user in the video feeds, wherein the boundaries each have an interior portion and an exterior portion;
providing media backgrounds for the exterior portions;
generating, for display on a plurality of client devices associated with the plurality of users, composite videos for each of the video feeds, wherein the composite videos each depict the corresponding media background in a first layer and each user from the interior portion in a second layer, wherein the second layer is overlaid on top of the first layer;
determining that one or more of the client devices have annotation permissions;
receiving annotation inputs from at least one of the client devices having annotation permissions, the annotation inputs corresponding to at least one of the composite videos; and
updating the at least one of the composite videos to additionally depict the annotation inputs within a third layer, wherein the third layer is overlaid on top of the second layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least generating the composite videos is performed on a remote server associated with the communication platform.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a request for annotation permissions from a client device not having annotation permissions;
querying a user with administration or hosting permissions whether to grant the annotation permissions request;
receiving a response to the query from the user with administration or hosting permissions; and
based on the response to the query, granting the request for annotation permissions to the requesting client device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a request to annotate one of the composite videos from a client device having annotation permissions with respect to the composite video;
determining whether an open annotation slot is available for the requesting client device with respect to the composite video; and
if an open annotation slot is available, then assigning the client device to the open annotation slot to send annotation inputs with respect to the composite video.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein if an open annotation slot is not available then:
sending a notification to a user with administration or hosting access that a user annotation request was denied for a composite video because no open annotation slots were available.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein if an open annotation slot is not available then:
determine that the requesting client device has a higher annotation input priority than at least one of the client devices currently in an annotation slot for the composite video; and
dynamically switching received annotation inputs from the lower priority client device to the higher priority requesting client device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein an annotation control interface is provided for display on a client device having administration or hosting access, wherein the annotation control interface comprises:
a first control interface to enable one or more of the composite videos to be annotated; and
a second control interface to modify annotation permissions for the plurality of client devices.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the annotation control interface further comprises:
a third control interface to set a number of allowed simultaneous annotations for each of the composite videos.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a selection from a client device having administration or hosting access for one or more of the composite videos to be featured such that the composite video size is increased relative to the other composite videos on the displays of the client devices.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
dynamically switching annotation access of one or more client devices to only the featured composite videos with increased size.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a presets control interface is provided for display on a client device having administration or hosting access, wherein the presets control interface comprises:
a first control interface for assigning one or more control parameters for annotation and/or presentation of composite videos to a preset; and
a second control interface for selecting a preset, where the control parameters are dynamically switched to the preset in real-time or substantially real-time upon receiving a selection.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one composite video is assigned as a presenting video and at least one critiquing client device is assigned as a critiquing client device,
wherein only annotation inputs from the critiquing client devices to the presenting videos can be received.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein annotation inputs from multiple client devices are present within one or more of the composite videos, and further comprising:
receiving a selection from one of the client devices to view only annotations from a subset of the multiple annotating client devices; and
updating the composite videos displayed on the client device such that only annotations from the selected subset of the multiple annotating client devices are visible.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a selection from one of the client devices to modify the visibility of one or more of the layers from one or more of the composite videos; and
updating the composite videos displayed on the client device such that the visibility of the selected layers is modified within the composite videos.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the selection is received from a client device with administration or hosting access to be applied for all of the client devices, and further comprising:
updating the composite videos on all of the client devices such that the visibility of the selected layers is modified within the composite videos.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
capturing a fixed recording of the session, wherein the composite videos and layers available to one of the client devices during the session is captured to the fixed recording.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
capturing a dynamic recording of the session, wherein a client device playing back the dynamic recording can dynamically switch between different layers, composite videos, and/or annotations in real time or substantially real time.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein annotation inputs from at least one of the client devices correspond to the media background of one or more of the composite videos.

19. A communication system comprising one or more processors configured to perform the operations of:
receiving a plurality of video feeds depicting imagery of a plurality of users, the video feeds each having multiple video frames;
determining a boundary about each user in the video feeds, wherein the boundaries each have an interior portion and an exterior portion;
providing media backgrounds for the exterior portions;
generating, for display on a plurality of client devices associated with the plurality of users, composite videos for each of the video feeds, wherein the composite videos each depict the corresponding media background in a first layer and each user from the interior portion in a second layer, wherein

Assignees

• Zoom Video Communications Inc

Inventors

• Springer Shane

Classifications

• H04L65/403

  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 title

• H04L65/4015

  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 · CPC title

• H04L65/1089

  by adding media; by removing media · CPC title

• H04N21/6587

  Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection · CPC title

• H04N21/654

  Transmission by server directed to the client · CPC title