Abstract: Disclosed are methods for remote users of a collaborative application to generate annotation information, send that annotation information to an application sharer device, and receive back a display combining output of the collaborative application with the annotation information. A collaborative application display is visible on an application viewer's screen. To make an annotation, a user draws over the shared display. The annotation is intercepted and sent to the sharer. On the sharer, the annotation is graphically blended with the display produced by the collaborative application. The combination is then sent to the remote viewers for display. The sharer may visually indicate, via color or a text flag, for example, the source of each annotation. The sharer may time out an annotation, or may delete the annotation if the collaborative application's display has scrolled underneath the annotation, causing the annotation to “lose its place” in the display and become meaningless.

Abstract: In one embodiment of this invention, a computing system may be configured to perform a method for synchronizing the presentation of windows between two computing systems, where the first computing system has initiated a terminal server session with a second computing system. The method involves both computing systems identifying their own windows display information. The second computing system transmits its windows display information to the first computing system. The first computing system accesses the windows display information of the second computing system. The first computing system formulates an ordering for the windows, incorporating both the first and the second computing systems' windows display information. The first computing system presents the windows based on the formulated ordering. Additionally or alternatively, the first computing system transmits the formulated ordering to the second computing system.

Abstract: An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein an application sharing viewing display is modified to increase the likelihood that a viewing user is able to see without scrolling the entirety of a window of interest displayed by a sharing user on a sharing machine. The scale of the viewer representation of the window of interest may be substantially continuously varied so as to best account for the particular size of the available display area at the viewing machine. In a further embodiment of the invention, the viewer's attention may be focused by filtering of the shared display material to visually enhance the current window of interest.

Abstract: A buffering process for real-time digital audio is provided to effect of network “jitter” from inconsistent network packet delivery rates. The buffering algorithm is particularly useful for audio data including distinct bursts separated by silence, such as speech. The process holds incoming audio packets in a queue until either: (a) the buffer contents meet a predetermined threshold; or (b) the end packet of a burst is received. The result is that silent periods between bursts may expand or decrease relative to the original audio pattern, allowing cumulative jitter to be played out as silence. The threshold is sized such that the deviation in silence is unnoticeable by a listener. In an optional embodiment, the process periodically adjusts the threshold to adapt to network conditions.

Abstract: In order to minimize the delay of the video images viewed by a network conference attendee, an intelligent buffering process (IB process) selectively discards video frames from at least one point, and in an embodiment, many network points, such as at “in” and/or “out” buffers of clients, servers, routers, etc. Packets of video frame data arrive at a buffer, which can fill to a predetermined limit if the packets cannot be forwarded due to delays or slow connections. To forward the most current video images, old frames in the buffer are discarded rather than forwarded. In a particular embodiment, when the buffer is full, the next arriving delta frame packet is discarded. To avoid distortion, each subsequent delta frame is discarded until a new key frame eventually arrives. If the buffer is still full when the key frame arrives, the buffer is purged and the new key frame is added.

Abstract: An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein shared window data is treated according to different sets of rules depending upon the fraction of the shared window data that corresponds to the actual shared window. In this manner, occlusions of a shared window on a sharer display may be disguised or handled by a viewer display to minimize the impact of the occlusion on a viewing user, providing a more consistent and less confusing viewer experience.

Abstract: In a recorded network conference, a post-conference process is implemented to transcribe stored raw conference data into a viewable, standard format recording. The post-conference process postpones transcribing tasks until after the conference has ended. During the conference, raw conference data streams are stored directly in a compressed format used for network transmission. The post-conference process can be initiated based on one or more parameters to optimize use of resources. Possible parameters include conference schedules, CPU usage and availability for transcribing, and remaining storage capacity. In an embodiment, a recording unit joins the conference over the network in the manner of an attendee. The recording unit “listens” and blindly records the data, and later performs the post-conference process. In an embodiment, the transcribed recording is burned onto a CD-ROM and delivered to the conference attendees.

Abstract: An improved application sharing system and method allow sharing of documents on a per document basis rather than on a per application basis, in order to simplify the user experience and to provide a more secure sharing environment. A window marking method is used to construct a window list describing the shared and unshared status of various windows. In an embodiment of the invention, a viewer machine displays only a most recently active shared document window even when other windows are also marked as shared. In this way, a viewer's attention can be automatically focused on a current document of interest.

Abstract: An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein shared window data is treated according to different sets of rules depending upon the fraction of the shared window data that corresponds to the actual shared window. In this manner, occlusions of a shared window on a sharer display may be disguised or handled by a viewer display to minimize the impact of the occlusion on a viewing user, providing a more consistent and less confusing viewer experience.

Abstract: In a recorded network conference, a post-conference process is implemented to transcribe stored raw conference data into a viewable, standard format recording. The post-conference process postpones transcribing tasks until after the conference has ended. During the conference, raw conference data streams are stored directly in a compressed format used for network transmission. The post-conference process can be initiated based on one or more parameters to optimize use of resources. Possible parameters include conference schedules, CPU usage and availability for transcribing, and remaining storage capacity. In an embodiment, a recording unit joins the conference over the network in the manner of an attendee. The recording unit “listens” and blindly records the data, and later performs the post-conference process. In an embodiment, the transcribed recording is burned onto a CD-ROM and delivered to the conference attendees.

Abstract: A buffering process for real-time digital audio is provided to effect of network “jitter” from inconsistent network packet delivery rates. The buffering algorithm is particularly useful for audio data including distinct bursts separated by silence, such as speech. The process holds incoming audio packets in a queue until either: (a) the buffer contents meet a predetermined threshold; or (b) the end packet of a burst is received. The result is that silent periods between bursts may expand or decrease relative to the original audio pattern, allowing cumulative jitter to be played out as silence. The threshold is sized such that the deviation in silence is unnoticeable by a listener. In an optional embodiment, the process periodically adjusts the threshold to adapt to network conditions.

Abstract: In order to minimize the delay of the video images viewed by a network conference attendee, an intelligent buffering process (IB process) selectively discards video frames from at least one point, and in an embodiment, many network points, such as at “in” and/or “out” buffers of clients, servers, routers, etc. Packets of video frame data arrive at a buffer, which can fill to a predetermined limit if the packets cannot be forwarded due to delays or slow connections. To forward the most current video images, old frames in the buffer are discarded rather than forwarded. In a particular embodiment, when the buffer is full, the next arriving delta frame packet is discarded. To avoid distortion, each subsequent delta frame is discarded until a new key frame eventually arrives. If the buffer is still full when the key frame arrives, the buffer is purged and the new key frame is added.