Object group processing and selection gestures for grouping objects in a collaboration system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016378291-A1
Application number	US-201615093664-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 7, 2016
Priority date	Jun 26, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A collaboration system can be configured to support a large number of active clients in a workspace where the workspace is distributed into diverse groups of objects. While participating in the workspace, a first active client can consolidate a plurality of objects into a group. Actions taken on this group maintain the proportions and relative positions of the objects within the group. These actions are distributed to a second active client in the workspace wherein the second active client applies these actions to their copies of the objects thereby synchronizing the viewports of the first and second active clients. Actions on a group of objects include resizing, moving, pinning, deleting, and duplicating the group as a whole.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising a network node including a display having a physical display space, a user input device, a processor and a communication port, the network node being configured with logic to:
establish communication with one or more other network nodes; store at least part of a log of events relating to graphical targets having locations in a virtual workspace, entries in the log including a location in the virtual workspace of the graphical target of an event, a time of the event, and a target identifier of the graphical target; map a screen space in the physical display space to a viewport within the virtual workspace to identify entries in the log within the viewport and render graphical targets identified by the identified entries onto the screen space; accept input data from the user input device creating events that identify a group of graphical targets on the screen space; and send messages identifying members of the identified group to the one or more other network nodes.

2 . The system of claim 1 , including logic to send messages identifying changes in the membership of the identified group.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic to accept input data includes logic to interpret touch gestures in the screen space, including touch gestures to identify a plurality of graphical constructs as members of a group, and logic to render identifying graphical constructs in the screen space to indicate membership in the group by particular graphical constructs.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic to accept input data includes logic to detect four simultaneous touch events in the screen space, and to interpret the four simultaneous touch events to define a boundary in the screen space for a selected group.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the logic to interpret the four simultaneous touch events executes a process including:
selecting locations of two touch points in the four simultaneous touch events as a first pair and identifying two other touch points in the four simultaneous touch events as a second pair; defining a first horizontal coordinate and a first vertical coordinate using the first pair and defining a second horizontal coordinate and a second vertical coordinate using the second pair; identifying graphical constructs using a polygon defined by the first horizontal coordinate, the first vertical coordinate, the second horizontal coordinate and the second vertical coordinate; upon detection of a selection-end event, identifying a group including the identified graphical targets as members of the group; and sending the message identifying the members of the identified group.

6 . A method of creating a group of objects by a collaborator in a collaborative workspace using a collaboration system, the collaboration system comprising a network node including a display having a physical display space, a user input device, a processor and a communication port, the method comprising:
establishing communication with one or more other network nodes using the communication port; storing at least part of a log of events relating to graphical targets having locations in a virtual workspace, entries in the log including a location in the virtual workspace of the graphical target of an event, a time of the event, and a target identifier of the graphical target; mapping a screen space in the physical display space to a viewport within the virtual workspace, to identify entries in the log within the viewport, render graphical targets identified by the identified entries onto the screen space; accepting input data from the user input device creating events that identify a group of graphical targets on the screen space; and sending messages identifying members of the identified group to the one or more other network nodes.

7 . The method of claim 6 , including sending messages identifying changes in the members of the identified group.

8 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
interpreting an input as a gesture indicating movement of a graphical target within the identified group; moving the identified group in the screen space; and sending a message indicating movement of the identified group to the one or more other network nodes.

9 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
interpreting an input as a gesture indicating resizing of a graphical target within the identified group; resizing the identified group in the screen space; and
sending messages indicating resizing of the identified group to the one or more other network nodes.

10 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
interpreting an input as a gesture indicating deletion of a graphical target within the identified group;
deleting the identified group in the screen space; and
sending messages indicating deletion of the identified group to the one or more other network nodes.

11 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
interpreting an input as a gesture indicating removal of a graphical target within the identified group; removing the identified graphical target from the identified group; and sending messages indicating removal of the identified graphical target to the one or more other network nodes.

12 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
interpreting an input as a gesture indicating addition of a graphical target to the identified group; adding the identified target to the identified group; and sending messages indicating addition of the identified graphical target to the one or more other network nodes.

13 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
interpreting an input as a gesture indicating duplication of a graphical target within the identified group; and for each member of the identified group:
duplicating the member of the identified group; and
sending messages indicating duplication of the member to the one or more other network nodes.

14 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
interpreting an input as a gesture indicating an ungrouping of an identified group;
removing the members from the identified group; and
sending a message indicating a group with no members to the one or more other network nodes.

15 . A system comprising a network node including a display having a physical display space, a user input device, a processor and a communication port, the network node being configured with logic to:
establish communication with one or more other network nodes; store at least part of a workspace collaboration data structure including graphical objects having locations in a virtual workspace, entries in the data structure including a location in the virtual workspace of the graphical objects; map a screen space in the physical display space to a viewport within the virtual workspace, to identify entries in the data structure within the viewport, render graphical objects identified by the identified entries onto the screen space; identify groups of objects in the data structure; accept input data from the user input device and determine whether the input relates to identifying members in a group, and apply group rules for interpreting the input; and send messages identifying the members of the group to the one or more other network nodes.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the data structure comprises a log of events relating to graphical targets having locations in a virtual workspace, entries in the log including a location in the virtual workspace of the graphical target of an event, a time of the event, and a target identifier of the graphical target.

Assignees

• Haworth Inc

Inventors

• Pokrzywka Romain

Classifications

• H04L67/1048

  Departure or maintenance mechanisms · CPC title

• G06F3/0488 Primary

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• H04L67/1046

  Joining mechanisms · CPC title

• G06F3/04842 Primary

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F2203/04808

  Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen · CPC title