Integration of videoconferencing with interactive electronic whiteboard appliances

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11363239-B2
Application number	US-202017129614-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2020
Priority date	May 9, 2015
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

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. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, cause:
an interactive whiteboard session content area; to be displayed on a display of a first device, wherein a collaboration menu to start a video conference session with one or more participants from one or more other devices is overlaid on at least a portion of the interactive whiteboard session content area; and
after receiving an instruction for starting the video conference session with the one or more participants via the collaboration menu overlaid on at least a portion of the interactive whiteboard session content area, cause content from a second device participating in the video conference session, of the one or more other devices, to be displayed, wherein the content from the second device is overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein processing of the instructions by the one or more processors further causes:
after receiving the instruction for starting the video conference session with the one or more participants via the collaboration menu overlaid on at least a portion of the interactive whiteboard session content area, cause a contact list of candidate participants to be overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area, and
wherein the content from the second device is overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area after the video conference session is established with the second device and wherein the second device is used by a participant selected from the contact list of candidate participants.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein processing of the instructions by the one or more processors further causes a status of a client of the first device to be sent to a collaboration manager.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3 , wherein the status indicates that the client of the first device is active and available to participate.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein interactive session whiteboard content is dynamically shared with the second device.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5 , wherein processing of the instructions by the one or more processors further causes sharing of the interactive session whiteboard content with the second device to be stopped in response to detecting a user selection via the collaboration menu.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the content from the second device, of the one or more other devices, is displayed in a videoconferencing window overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:
causing an interactive whiteboard session content area; to be displayed on a display of a first device, wherein a collaboration menu to start a video conference session with one or more participants from one or more other devices is overlaid on at least a portion of the interactive whiteboard session content area; and
after receiving an instruction for starting the video conference session with the one or more participants via the collaboration menu overlaid on at least a portion of the interactive whiteboard session content area, causing content from a second device participating in the video conference session, of the one or more other devices, to be displayed, wherein the content from the second device is overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising:
after receiving the instruction for starting the video conference session with the one or more participants via the collaboration menu overlaid on at least a portion of the interactive whiteboard session content area, causing a contact list of candidate participants to be overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area, and
wherein the content from the second device is overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area after the video conference session is established with the second device and wherein the second device is used by a participant selected from the contact list of candidate participants.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising causing a status of a client of the first device to be sent to a collaboration manager.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the status indicates that the client of the first device is active and available to participate.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein interactive session whiteboard content is dynamically shared with the second device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , further comprising stopping sharing of the interactive session whiteboard content with the second device in response to detecting a user selection via the collaboration menu.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the content from the second device, of the one or more other devices, is displayed in a videoconferencing window overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area.

15. A device comprising:
a display;
one or more processors;
one or more memories storing instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause:
an interactive whiteboard session content area; to be displayed on the display of the device, wherein a collaboration menu to start a video conference session with one or more participants from one or more other devices is overlaid on at least a portion of the interactive whiteboard session content area; and
after receiving an instruction for starting the video conference session with the one or more participants via the collaboration menu overlaid on at least a portion of the interactive whiteboard session content area, causing content from a second device participating in the video conference session, of the one or more other devices, to be displayed, wherein the content from the second device is overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area.

16. The device of claim 15 , further comprising:
after receiving the instruction for starting the video conference session with the one or more participants via the collaboration menu overlaid on at least a portion of the interactive whiteboard session content area, causing a contact list of candidate participants to be overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area, and
wherein the content from the second device is overlaid on the interactive whiteboard session content area after the video conference session is established with the second device and wherein the second device is used by a participant selected from the contact list of candidate participants.

17. The device of claim 15 , further comprising causing a status of a client of the device to be sent to a collaboration manager.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the status indicates that the client of the device is active and available to participate.

19. The device of claim 15 , wherein interactive session whiteboard content is dynamically shared with the second device.

20. The device of claim 19 , further comprising stopping sharing of the interactive session whiteboard content with the second device in response to detecting a user selection via the collaboration menu.

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Nelson Steven
• Wong Lana
• Kitada Hiroshi

Classifications

• H04L12/1813

  for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms (instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15) · CPC title

• H04L12/1822

  Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission · CPC title

• H04N7/15 Primary

  Conference systems · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

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

• H04L12/1827

  Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation · CPC title