Sharing And Collaborating On Content Objects During A Video Conference
Patent No. US11785063 (titled "Sharing And Collaborating On Content Objects During A Video Conference") was filed by Zoom Video Communications Inc on Sep 10, 2021.
What is this patent about?
’063 is related to the field of video conferencing and, more specifically, to sharing and collaborating on content during a video conference. Traditionally, sharing content involved screen sharing, where participants viewed a video stream of the presenter's screen. This limited interaction and control for other participants.
The underlying idea behind ’063 is to enable real-time collaboration on content objects within a video conference by allowing participants to interact directly with the content. This is achieved by executing a software application within the video conferencing application's environment, allowing users to access and manipulate the content object directly, rather than just viewing a screen share.
The claims of ’063 focus on a method, a device, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium for joining a video conference, executing a software application within the video conferencing application to access a content object, receiving a command to share the content object, and then providing the content object to other participants through the video conference provider.
In practice, a user initiates content sharing by launching an application (e.g., a document editor) within the video conference environment. When the user shares the content, other participants receive the content object and, if they have the corresponding application, can launch it within their own video conference environment. If a participant lacks the application, the system can provide it, enabling them to interact with the content object based on permissions set by the sharer.
This approach differs from traditional screen sharing by providing each participant with an individual, interactive instance of the content object. This allows for simultaneous editing, commenting, and other collaborative actions, enhancing the overall video conferencing experience. The system also allows for granular control over access levels , ensuring that the content owner can manage how others interact with the shared material.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the early 2020s when ’063 was filed, video conferencing systems commonly relied on screen sharing to collaborate on content objects, at a time when providing individual access and editing rights to shared content within a video conference required transmitting URLs or copies of the content object to each participant.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The claims were rejected in an Office Action. Claims 1-2, 6, 8-9, 13, 15-16, and 20 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Vendrow. Claims 3, 10, and 17 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vendrow in view of Hubert et al. Claims 4, 11, and 18 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vendrow in view of Ohkawa. Claims 7 and 14 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vendrow in view of Jaber et al. Claims 5, 12, and 19 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vendrow in view of Topfl. The prosecution record does NOT describe the technical reasoning or specific claim changes that led to allowance.
Claims
This patent contains 20 claims, of which claims 1, 8, and 15 are independent. The independent claims are directed to a method, a client device, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium, respectively, all generally focused on sharing a content object within a video conference using a software application executed within the video conferencing application's environment. The dependent claims generally add further detail and limitations to the independent claims, such as displaying graphical user interfaces, handling conference termination, providing software applications to participants, and managing access levels.
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Date
Description
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US11785063
- Application Number
- US17472093
- Filing Date
- Sep 10, 2021
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Sep 10, 2041
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents