Systems and methods for multi-party distributed active co-browsing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11797935-B2
Application number	US-202217860023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2022
Priority date	Jul 8, 2021
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for collaborative session including co-browsing in a virtual workspace. The system includes a server-side network node including logic to access a web application using a uniform resource locator (URL) of the web application. The server-side network node includes logic to generate a first model of the web application corresponding to the current state of the web application. The server-side network node includes logic to provide a spatial event map identifying events in the virtual workspace, the events identified by the spatial event map are related to the first model of the web application. The system includes logic to create a second model of the web application as a result of updates to the current state of the web application. The system includes logic to generate an update patch using a difference between the second model and the first model of the web application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A server-side network node of a collaboration system hosting a collaboration session, between client-side network nodes, each including a display having a physical display space and a processor, the server-side network node including one or more processors configured with logic to implement operations comprising:
accessing a web application in dependence on a uniform resource locator (URL) of the web application and received in a request message from a first client-side network node to start a co-browsing session in a virtual workspace of the collaboration session established between the client-side network nodes;
generating a first model of the web application corresponding to a current state of the web application;
providing, to the client-side network nodes, a spatial event map identifying a log of events in the virtual workspace, wherein entries within the log of events include respective locations of digital assets related to the events in the workspace and times of the events, the events identified by the spatial event map being related to the first model of the web application, which is one of the digital assets related to the events, wherein the spatial event map allows for rendering, in the display space on the display of each of the client-side network nodes, the first model of the web application in the co-browsing session;
receiving an input event including an input from at least one client-side network node and applying the input received in the input event to the current state of the web application;
creating a second model of the web application as a result of updates to the current state of the web application in dependence upon the input included in the input event; and
generating an update patch using a difference between the second model and the first model and sending an update event including the update patch to the client-side network nodes, wherein the spatial event map, at respective client-side network nodes, receives the update event and allows rendering, in the display space on the display of each of the client-side network nodes, of the second model of the web application corresponding to the updated state of the web application.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first model and the second model of the web application respectively include a plurality of elements of the web application served by a web server serving the web application.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the server-side network node is further configured with logic to implement operations including:
retrieving, from the web server serving the web application, at least one element from the plurality of elements of the web application; and
storing the at least one element of the web application in a database,
wherein the first model of the web application corresponding to the current state of the web application includes the at least one element of the web application queried from the plurality of elements of the web application stored in the database.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the server-side network node is further configured with logic to implement operations including:
retrieving, from the web server serving the web application, each element of the plurality of elements of the web application; and
storing each retrieved element of the plurality of elements of the web application in the database,
wherein the first model of the web application corresponding to the current state of the web application includes at least one element of the of the plurality of elements of the web application stored in the database.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the server-side network node is further configured with logic to implement operations including:
generating a filtered model of the web application corresponding to the first model of the web application by filtering out one or more elements from the plurality of elements from the first model of the web application, wherein the elements of the web application include one or more of (i) a script, (ii) a document object model (DOM) comprising a plurality of document object model elements, (iii) a style, (iv) an image and (v) a video, and
the providing, to the client-side network nodes, the spatial event map identifying events in the virtual workspace, the events identified by the spatial event map being related to the filtered model of the web application.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein
the generating of the update patch using the difference between the second model and the first model includes using a web-extension component running in a web browser in which the web application is executing and determining changes in states, between the second model and the first model, of the elements of the web application including at least the elements of the document object model of the web application.

7. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the server-side network node is further configured with logic to implement operations including periodically creating a new model of the web application to capture updates to the current state of the web application, wherein the current state of the web application is captured by a previous model, and
wherein the generating of the update patch uses a difference between the new model of the web application and the previous model of the web application.

8. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the server-side network node is further configured with logic to implement operations including receiving an input event from the first client-side network node to authenticate login credentials for the web application in the co-browsing session in the virtual workspace,
wherein the sending of the update event including the update patch to the first client-side network node is performed without sending the update patch to the other client-side network nodes,
wherein the spatial event map, at the first client-side network node, receives the update event and allows rendering, in the display space on the display of the first client-side network node, the second model of the web application,
wherein the second model of the web application includes a user interface for providing the login credentials, and
wherein the displays at the other client-side network nodes display the first model of the web application without including the user interface for providing the login credentials.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server-side network node is further configured with logic to implement operations including:
receiving a pause browse request message from the first client-side node to pause the co-browsing session; and
discontinuing a subsequent sending of the update event including the update patch to the other client-side network nodes other than the first client-side network node.

10. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the server-side network node is further configured with logic to implement operations including receiving respective input events including inputs from at least two client-side network nodes and applying the inputs received in the respective input events to the web application, wherein the second model of the web application is created as a result of updates to the web application in dependence upon application of the inputs received in the respective input events to the web application, and
wherein the sending of the update event including the update patch to the client-side network nodes includes sending the update event to at least two client-side network nodes.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the server-side network node is further configured with logic to implement operations including:
determining respective locations of the input events from the at least two client-si

Assignees

• Haworth Inc

Inventors

• Elsner Robert
• Palacz Krzysztof
• Jiang Yingtao
• Sidorkin Oleg
• Chanda Rupen

Classifications

• G06Q10/10 Primary

  Office automation; Time management · CPC title

• G06F3/04815

  Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional [3D], e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object · CPC title

• G06F16/955

  using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL] · CPC title

• 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

• 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