System and method for managing graphical user interface (GUI) for desktop computers and mobile displays

Abstract

A system and method for managing a graphical user interface (GUI) for a group video call. The method ensures efficient communication and control of shared video content during a group video call. The method enables dynamic videos from multiple attendee accounts and other shared video content to be combined and displayed in one slide. Further, the method allows the slide presentation and positioning of the participant video to be controlled by the host account holder or presenter's cursor movement. This allows the participant to follow the presenter while viewing the presentation slides and other dynamic videos. In addition, the method allows the user to switch mouse cursor control and dynamic video position between the presenter and the participant by clicking the video on the primary slot. Additionally, the host has special control rights that can be delivered to a selected number of participants, and the participant dynamic video is arranged in two parts.

Description

[0001] This application is a Continuation-In-Part (CIP) of U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 18 / 194,470, filed on March 3, 2023.

[0002] The present application is a CIP of U.S. Non-Provisional Design Application Serial No. 29 / 875,242, filed on May 1, 2023. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention generally relates to a method for a graphical user interface (GUI) for managing group video calls. More specifically, the present invention provides a system and method for facilitating a user to arrange a host video and participant videos on a desktop computer, tablet, or mobile display in a manner such that important portions of the shared screen are visible or unobstructed. Background Art

[0004] In video conferencing tools (i.e., Zoom, Google Meets, Apple FaceTime), participant videos and shared content (i.e., slides, screen content) are separate. The drawback of the physical proximity between objects and people on a computer screen is that the human eye cannot focus on both the content and the people simultaneously. The eyes must constantly move between the object and the face to feel a connection with the person speaking or the audience. The user must either focus on the object or the face, or switch between them. Frequent switching depletes attention faster and shortens the cognitive attention duration. Insufficient attention leads to reduced cognition of the shared content and thus impairs the viewer's information processing ability. In other words, less information is processed, or the viewer's mind goes numb, or is distracted (process skipping). Seeing the face and the object simultaneously reduces the likelihood of process skipping. The closer the physical distance between the object and the person, the more likely they are to be perceived as similar. Therefore, the closer the face / person is to the speaking points / objects / charts / images, the more it is associated with the (good, successful) content of that particular person, reducing cognitive fatigue, increasing attention and information processing ability, and thus better understanding the shared content. Further, the more frequently you see something, the more it becomes an unconscious assumption about the world for you. Therefore, repeatedly (screen after screen, or slide after slide) seeing a person's face next to good content makes people increasingly automatically associate that person's ideas and success (the moat effect). However, when a group of participant videos (e.g., 4 participants) follow the mouse cursor while sharing the screen, the view of the shared screen may sometimes be blocked. In other words, the participant videos following the mouse cursor take up a large amount of screen space.

[0005] The objective of the present invention is to provide a system and method for managing the GUI of group video calls, where the present invention can solve the above problems. By utilizing the present invention, it becomes possible to ensure effective communication and control of shared video content for all attendees of the video call. The present invention combines aspects such as mouse movement, remote control of presentation slides, sharing of previous meeting videos, switching control of presentation pointers and dynamic videos, management control, and arranging the dynamic videos of attendees in separate pages into one tool. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides a system and method for managing the GUI of group video calls. By utilizing the present invention, it becomes possible to ensure effective communication and control of shared video content for all attendees of the video call without causing chaos and interference in the group call. In a preferred embodiment, the system of the present invention enables the combination of participant videos, host videos, and other shared video content to be displayed on one slide. Further, the present invention allows the control of the slide presentation and positioning of other participant videos through the cursor movement of the host or presenter. This allows participants to follow the presenter (host) while watching the presentation slides and user videos. In addition, the present invention allows users to switch the mouse cursor control and dynamic video position between the presenter and participants by clicking on the presenter's video. Additionally, the display of the dynamic videos of participant accounts is divided into two different screens, and the host is provided with additional control rights. This is because sometimes only the presenter who controls the mouse movement in the primary slot rather than the audience wishes to be seen. For this purpose, the proximity between the presenter in the primary slot and the audience in the secondary slots is increased to keep more important parts of the shared screen visible. Therefore, the present invention is a simple and user-friendly system and method that enables effective management of the GUI for group virtual teleconferences. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the entire system of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the present invention, which shows the arrangement of the main screen and the supplementary screen, as well as the primary slot, multiple visible secondary slots, and multiple invisible secondary slots.

[0009] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the present invention, which shows the arrangement of the main screen and the supplementary screen, as well as the host account and multiple participant accounts.

[0010] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the first step of a subprocess of the present invention, which shows the generation of a new visible secondary slot of the host account when a specific participant from multiple invisible secondary slots moves to the primary slot.

[0011] Figure 5 is from Figure 4 a schematic diagram of the second step of a subprocess, where when a specific participant moves to a primary slot, the slot of the specific participant is empty.

[0012] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the first step of a subprocess of the present invention, which shows that when another participant account from multiple visible secondary slots moves to the primary slot and the specific participant in the primary slot returns to their previous slot in the invisible secondary slot, an empty slot is generated.

[0013] Figure 7 is Figure 6 a schematic diagram of the second step of a subprocess of, which shows that the primary slot is occupied by another participant account and the previous slot of the other participant account in the visible secondary slot is empty.

[0014] Figure 8 is a flowchart depicting the entire process of the method according to the present invention.

[0015] Figure 9 is a flowchart depicting the continuation of the entire process of the method according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 10 is a flowchart depicting a subprocess that prompts the host account to graphically click on a secondary slot and display a dynamic video of a participant account within a primary slot during a virtual meeting session.

[0017] Figure 11 is a flowchart depicting a subprocess that prompts the host account to graphically click on a primary slot and display a dynamic video of the host account within the primary slot during a virtual meeting session.

[0018] Figure 12 is a flowchart depicting a subprocess that prompts the host account to graphically fix a primary slot to a primary desired position and graphically fix the primary slot to a primary desired position during a virtual meeting session.

[0019] Figure 13 is a flowchart depicting a subprocess that prompts the host account to make the main pointer follow a primary slot and display the main pointer followed by the primary slot.

[0020] Figure 14 is a flowchart depicting a subprocess that prompts a participant account to graphically fix a primary slot to a primary desired position and graphically fix the primary slot to a primary desired position during a virtual meeting session.

[0021] Figure 15It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess that prompts a participant account to make the main pointer follow a primary slot and displays the main pointer followed by a primary slot.

[0022] Figure 16 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess that prompts a host account to graphically fix a secondary slot to a new secondary desired position and graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position during a virtual meeting session.

[0023] Figure 17 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess that prompts a participant account to graphically fix a secondary slot to a new secondary desired position and graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position during a virtual meeting session.

[0024] Figure 18 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of displaying shared screen content and a default background by a host account during a virtual meeting session.

[0025] Figure 19 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of a host account relaying previous meeting records as shared screen content.

[0026] Figure 20 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of selecting and designating a desired background as the default background.

[0027] Figure 21 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of displaying shared screen content and a default background by a participant account during a virtual meeting session.

[0028] Figure 22 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of a participant account relaying previous meeting records as shared screen content.

[0029] Figure 23 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of selecting and designating a desired background as the default background.

[0030] Figure 24 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of replacing a dynamic video with a desired profile image.

[0031] Figure 25 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of replacing a dynamic video with a default profile image.

[0032] Figure 26 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of a host account performing cursor movement.

[0033] Figure 27 It is a flowchart depicting a subprocess of a participant account performing cursor movement.

[0034] Figure 28It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of selecting and relaying specific slot shapes for primary slots and secondary slots.

[0035] Figure 29 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of providing multiple participant accounts, multiple visible secondary slots, multiple invisible secondary slots, a main screen, and a supplementary screen.

[0036] Figure 30 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of prompting the host account during a virtual meeting session and causing the host account to perform graphically fixing a primary slot to a desired primary position on the main screen.

[0037] Figure 31 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of prompting the host account during a virtual meeting session to cause the main pointer to follow the primary slot and displaying the main pointer following the primary slot.

[0038] Figure 32 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of prompting a specific participant account during a virtual meeting session and causing the specific participant account to perform graphically fixing a primary slot to a desired primary position on the main screen.

[0039] Figure 33 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of prompting a specific participant account during a virtual meeting session to cause the main pointer to follow the primary slot and displaying the main pointer following the primary slot.

[0040] Figure 34 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of prompting the host account during a virtual meeting session and causing the host account to perform graphically fixing a visible secondary slot to a new desired secondary position on the main screen.

[0041] Figure 35 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of prompting a specific participant account during a virtual meeting session and causing the specific participant account to perform graphically fixing a new visible secondary slot to a new desired secondary position on the main screen.

[0042] Figure 36 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of graphically generating a new visible secondary slot adjacent to a visible secondary slot.

[0043] Figure 37 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of graphically removing a new visible secondary slot from the visible secondary slots.

[0044] Figure 38 It is a flowchart depicting the sub - process of providing an original secondary slot and displaying a dynamic video of a specific participant account within the original secondary slot.

[0045] Figure 39 is a flowchart depicting a subprocess for tracking multiple join timestamps, specifying and displaying in a visible secondary slot the dynamic videos of earlier-joined participant accounts, and displaying in an invisible secondary slot the dynamic videos of later-joined participant accounts.

[0046] Figure 40 is a flowchart depicting a subprocess for providing multiple later-joined participant accounts, prompting each later-joined participant account to graphically click on a dynamic video, and switching these dynamic videos between an original invisible secondary slot and other invisible secondary slots.

[0047] Figure 41 is a flowchart depicting a subprocess for enabling each attendee account to switch between viewing a main screen and a supplementary screen. Detailed implementation

[0048] The illustrations in all the figures are for describing selected solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0049] The present invention provides a system and method for managing a GUI of a group video call. The present invention enables the combination and display of participant videos, host videos, and other shared video content on a single slide. The present invention also allows the control of the slide presentation and positioning of other participant videos by the cursor movement of the host or presenter. The following description refers to Figures 1 to 41 . As can be seen from Figure 1 , the system for implementing the method of the present invention is provided with multiple user accounts (step A) managed by at least one remote server. Each of the multiple user accounts is associated with a corresponding user personal computing (PC) device. More specifically, each of the multiple user accounts is bound to a single user who can interact, participate, and operate the corresponding user PC device during a group video call. The corresponding user PC device allows the user to interact with the present invention and can be, but is not limited to, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or a tablet PC. For this purpose, the present invention works on an operating system, a mobile application, and / or can be embedded in a website. The remote server is used to facilitate communication between the multiple user accounts. In addition, the remote server is used to execute multiple internal processes of the present invention and to store message data.

[0050] To implement the above functions, a system for performing the method of the present invention provides at least one virtual meeting session (step B) managed by a remote server. A virtual meeting session is an online interactive session in which a group video or audio call is conducted among a selected number of users. Further, the virtual meeting session can be applied to an audio-only application, a video-only application, or a mix of some users using audio and some users using video. The virtual meeting session includes a plurality of attendee accounts, a main pointer, a primary slot, and at least one secondary slot. An attendee account is a user account of a selected number of users who choose to participate in the virtual meeting session and is thus designated from a plurality of user accounts. The attendee account includes a host account and at least one participant account. In a preferred embodiment, the host account is associated with the user who initially logs in to the system through a corresponding PC device and creates an online meeting room or workspace for the virtual meeting session. A specific uniform resource locator (URL) of the online meeting room is shared by the host account as part of the invitation to the participant accounts. The users of the participant accounts enter the virtual meeting session after accepting the invitation through their corresponding PC devices. In an alternative embodiment, the virtual meeting session can also include an asynchronous group call in which each user of the participant accounts joins at different times. The primary slot and the secondary slot are used to display the live video of the attendee accounts from their corresponding PC devices. According to a preferred embodiment, the primary slot is graphically configured relative to the main pointer so as to show that its live video is visually prioritized over the live video shown in the secondary slot. In a preferred embodiment, the main pointer is a cursor arrow. However, the main pointer can take any other shape known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as the shape of a hand, a finger, a letter, etc. More specifically, the primary slot is configured to follow the main pointer during the virtual meeting session or to be fixed to a primary desired position during the virtual meeting session. The primary desired position can be any position visible on the screen during the virtual meeting session. Further, the secondary slot is configured to be fixed to a secondary desired position during the virtual meeting session. Preferably, the secondary desired position is along the edge or corner on the screen such that any shared content of the virtual meeting session is not blocked. However, the secondary desired position can also include any other position as long as the intention of the present invention is not changed.

[0051] To implement the functions of the present invention, the entire process of the present invention begins with receiving dynamic videos from each attendee account using a corresponding PC device (step C). The dynamic videos are real-time video / audio recordings streamed from the cameras and / or microphones on the PCs corresponding to each attendee. For this purpose, when the host account enables access to the camera and / or microphone of the corresponding PC device, the host account enters the virtual meeting session with its dynamic video. Similarly, when the participant account enables access to the camera and / or microphone of the corresponding PC device, the participant account enters the virtual meeting session. In other words, when the camera access of the corresponding PC device for each attendee account is turned on, the dynamic video of each of the attendee accounts is activated. However, the dynamic video can be a photo, a picture, or any video or audio content that each attendee decides to share with their corresponding PC device.

[0052] As can be seen Figure 8 from, the entire process of the present invention continues: during the virtual meeting session, the dynamic video of the host account is initially displayed in the primary slot, and the dynamic videos of the participant accounts are displayed in the secondary slots (step D). In other words, the primary slot is the graphical space that initially displays the video of the host account, and at least one secondary slot is the graphical space that initially displays the videos of at least one participant account. As Figures 2 to 7 shown, these comparable graphical spaces make it easier to identify the dynamic video of the host account from the rest of the dynamic videos of the participant accounts.

[0053] The purpose of the present invention is to enable switching or transfer of control among multiple attendees in a virtual meeting session, making effective communication and interaction among the attendees possible during a presentation. Accordingly, the entire process of the present invention continues: prompting the participant accounts to graphically click on the primary slot using the corresponding PC devices in order to switch the dynamic videos of the participant accounts into the primary slot (step E). For example, if host X is displaying presentation slides in the background and participant Y has comments to make about the content of the presentation slides, or if participant Y has content completely different from participant Y's corresponding PC to share with multiple attendees, then participant Y can control the meeting by clicking on the current video of host X in the primary slot.

[0054] The entire process of the present invention continues: If the primary slot is graphically clicked by a participant account, during a virtual meeting session, a dynamic video of the participant account is displayed within the primary slot and a dynamic video of the host account is displayed within the secondary slot (step F). Continuing with the previous example, if participant Y clicks on the video of host X within the primary slot, the dynamic videos switch, and now the dynamic video of participant Y from the corresponding PC device of participant Y is placed within the primary slot, and the initial dynamic video of host X from the corresponding PC device of host X is placed within the secondary slot. Thus, participant Y can now lead the virtual meeting session.

[0055] Control of the virtual meeting session further implies control of the main pointer. As can be seen from Figure 9 the entire process of the present invention further continues: If the dynamic video of the host account is displayed within the primary slot, then during the virtual meeting session, it is enabled to control the main pointer using the corresponding PC device of the host account (step G). This enables the host account, which is responsible for guiding the virtual meeting session, to move the main pointer anywhere on the display page. This feature is beneficial because depending on the presentation slides or any other video source that the host account is displaying, the host may need to move the main pointer for better viewing or access. Further, the main pointer can be moved based only on the location preferences of the user of the host account. More specifically, only when the dynamic video of the host account is displayed within the primary slot can the host account control the main pointer.

[0056] As previously mentioned, according to the present invention, anyone from multiple attendee accounts can control the virtual meeting session by graphically clicking on the video within the primary slot. Thus, the entire process of the present invention further continues: If the dynamic video of a participant account is displayed within the primary slot, then during the virtual meeting session, it is enabled to control the main pointer using the corresponding PC device of the participant account (step H). Continuing with the previous example, when participant Y clicks on the primary slot, a control switch occurs. Subsequently, the primary slot now hosts the video source of participant Y. Correspondingly, the control of the presentation is now in the hands of participant Y, and thus participant Y can now control the main pointer as well as the corresponding PC device of participant Y in order to effectively communicate with the other attendees of the meeting.

[0057] From Figure 10It can be seen that the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: After step G, prompt the host account to graphically click on the secondary slot using the corresponding PC device so as to switch the dynamic video of the participant account to the primary slot. For example, if host X wants to regain control of the virtual meeting session from participant Y, then host X must graphically click on the secondary slot using the corresponding PC device of the host account. The sub - process continues: If the secondary slot is graphically clicked by the host account, then during the virtual meeting session, the dynamic video of the host account is displayed in the primary slot, the dynamic video of the participant account is displayed in the primary slot, and the dynamic video of the host account is displayed in the secondary slot. In other words, based on the previous example, after clicking on the secondary slot, the dynamic video from the corresponding PC device of host X is displayed in the primary slot, and the dynamic video from the corresponding PC device of participant Y is displayed in the secondary slot.

[0058] From Figure 11 It can be seen that the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: After step G, prompt the host account to graphically click on the primary slot using the corresponding PC device so as to switch the dynamic video of the host account to the primary slot. For example, if host X wants to regain control of the virtual meeting session from participant Y, then host X must graphically click on the primary slot using the corresponding PC device of the host account. The sub - process continues: If the primary slot is graphically clicked by the participant account, then during the virtual meeting session, the dynamic video of the host account is displayed in the primary slot and the dynamic video of the participant account is displayed in the secondary slot. In other words, based on the previous example, after clicking on the primary slot, the dynamic video from the corresponding PC device of host X is displayed in the primary slot, and the dynamic video from the corresponding PC device of participant Y is displayed in the secondary slot.

[0059] The objective of the present invention is to arrange the host video and the participant video on a desktop computer, a tablet computer or a mobile display in such a way that the important part of the shared screen is visible or unobstructed. For this purpose, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If the host account controls the main pointer and if the primary slot follows the main pointer during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the host account to graphically fix the primary slot to a desired primary position using the corresponding PC device. In other words, if the host controls the main pointer, then host X can move and fix the dynamic video of host X's account to any position on the main screen. Further, the sub - process continues: If the host account selects to graphically fix the primary slot to a desired primary position, then graphically fix the primary slot to the desired primary position during the virtual meeting session. Thus, during any part of the virtual meeting session, the fixed primary slot will remain stationary and will not obstruct any shared video content.

[0060] From Figure 13 As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If the host account controls the main pointer and if the primary slot is fixed to the primary desired position during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the host account to make the main pointer follow the primary slot using the corresponding PC device. That is to say, if host X selects for the main pointer to follow the primary slot, then the main pointer will follow the primary slot rather than being fixed at a position. Further, the sub - process continues: If the host account selects for the main pointer to follow the primary slot, then display the main pointer following the primary slot during the virtual meeting session.

[0061] From Figure 14 As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If the participant account controls the main pointer and if the primary slot follows the main pointer during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the participant account to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position using the corresponding PC device. For example, if participant Y wants to fix the primary slot to any specific point on the main screen, participant Y can choose to do so. Further, the sub - process continues: If the participant account selects to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position, then graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position during the virtual meeting session. This feature is very useful if the primary slot is blocking the view of any content being presented or shared during the virtual meeting session.

[0062] From Figure 15 As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If the participant account controls the main pointer and if the primary slot is fixed to the primary desired position during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the participant account to make the main pointer follow the primary slot using the corresponding PC device. That is to say, if participant Y selects for the main pointer to follow the primary slot, then the main pointer will follow the primary slot rather than being fixed at a position. The sub - process continues: If the participant account selects for the main pointer to follow the primary slot, then display the main pointer following the primary slot during the virtual meeting session.

[0063] Similar to the ability to move and fix the primary slot to a desired position on the screen, the user is responsible for the main pointer or the primary slot. For this purpose, as Figure 16As shown, the sub - process of the method of the present invention includes the following steps: If the host account controls the main pointer, and if the secondary slot is fixed to the secondary desired position during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the host account to graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position using the corresponding PC device. In other words, if necessary, the user account responsible for the main pointer can move and fix the second slot to the new secondary desired position. The sub - process continues: If the host account selects to graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position, then graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position during the virtual meeting session.

[0064] As can be seen Figure 17 from, the sub - process of the present invention includes: If the participant account controls the main pointer, and if the secondary slot is fixed to the secondary desired position during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the participant account to graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position using the corresponding PC device. In other words, if necessary, the user account responsible for the main pointer, even if it is a participant or an attendee, can move and fix the second slot to the new secondary desired position. The sub - process continues: If the participant account selects to graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position, then graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position during the virtual meeting session.

[0065] As can be seen Figure 18It can be seen that the subprocess of the present invention includes the step of providing a default background for each attendee account. The default background can be a static picture, a dynamic picture, a three-dimensional (3D) picture, a pattern, or a blank page, and the corresponding PC of each attendee account is provided with this background. The subprocess continues: If the host account controls the main pointer, the host account is prompted to use the corresponding PC device to select the shared screen content for the virtual meeting session. The shared screen content is the display material selected by the host account using the corresponding PC to share with the remaining attendees. Examples of the shared screen content include, but are not limited to, web pages, presentation slides, videos, pictures, etc. Multiple attendees can interact using the mouse following mechanism and / or audio interaction and / or video interaction. For this purpose, the present invention enables multiple attendees to browse a website together while having a phone call or a separate video or audio conference call (such as Slack, Huddle, or Zoom). To achieve this, the host account must control the main pointer, and the dynamic video of the host account must be displayed in the primary slot. Accordingly, the subprocess continues: If the host account selects the shared screen content, the shared screen content is displayed during the virtual meeting session. In other words, once the host account controls the main pointer and leads the virtual meeting session, the host account selects and displays the shared screen content to be shared with the remaining attendees during the virtual meeting session. In addition, the subprocess continues: If the host account controls the main pointer and if the host account does not select the shared screen content, the default background of each attendee account is displayed using the corresponding PC device. In other words, if the host account does not select any shared screen content, the corresponding PC device of each of the attendees only displays the default background initially provided by its corresponding PC device. For example, if participant Y has a yellow flower as the default background and host X selects presentation slides ABC as the shared screen content, the corresponding PC devices of all attendee accounts including participant Y will display the presentation slides ABC as the background of the virtual meeting session. If host X does not select any shared screen content, the corresponding PC device of participant Y will display the yellow flower as the background of the virtual meeting session. The shared screen content is applicable to websites (for co-browsing), collaborative applications (such as Google Docs), and operating systems for remote control operations. In all these cases, the participants are grouped together and can switch control to follow the movement of the mouse or tap on the primary slot.

[0066] From Figure 20As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the step of prompting each attendee account to use the corresponding PC device to select a desired background. The desired background is the background for a virtual meeting session that each attendee account can select using its corresponding PC device. Accordingly, the sub - process continues: If at least one arbitrary account selects a desired background, the selection of the desired background is relayed from the corresponding PC device of that arbitrary account to a remote server, where the arbitrary account is any account among the multiple attendee accounts. In other words, any user from the multiple attendee accounts can select a desired background with the help of the remote server, and this selection is relayed to the corresponding PC device of that arbitrary account. For example, if any account Z among the multiple attendee accounts selects a photo of an elephant as the desired background, the desired background of the elephant photo is only relayed to the corresponding PC device of that arbitrary account Z. Further, the sub - process continues: The desired background is designated as the default background of the arbitrary account using the remote server. In other words, the above - mentioned sub - process of the present invention allows each attendee account among the multiple attendee accounts to select the background they have chosen as the background for the virtual meeting session, regardless of the default background of their corresponding PCs. For example, if participant Y has a yellow flower as the default background on the corresponding PC, and if participant Y selects a red bird as the desired background, the red bird is set as the default background on the corresponding PC of participant Y for the virtual meeting session.

[0067] Reference Figure 19, the sub - process of the present invention includes the step of providing a plurality of previous meeting records stored on a remote server. In other words, the present invention enables access to previous meeting records during a virtual meeting session. Accordingly, the sub - process continues: prompting the host account to replay a specific record from the plurality of previous meeting records using the corresponding PC device. For example, the host account X may have a label or button visible on the default background of the corresponding PC, from which the host account X can access the plurality of previous meeting records and select the specific record or any single record by clicking on the button or thumbnail associated with the specific record. Further, the sub - process continues: if the host account selects a specific record, the selection of the specific record is relayed from the corresponding PC device of the host account to the remote server. In other words, once the host account selects a specific record from the plurality of previous meeting records, the specific record is relayed or transmitted from the host account to the remote server so that the specific record can be streamed to a plurality of attendee accounts. For this purpose, the sub - process continues: if the host account selects shared screen content, the remote server is utilized to designate the specific record as shared screen content. In other words, after selecting the specific record, the specific record is shared as the shared screen content of the virtual meeting session. This enables reminding the plurality of attendee accounts of what happened in a previous video conference and enables taking follow - up actions related to the previous video conference during the course of the current virtual meeting session.

[0068] In an alternative embodiment, a user can participate in an asynchronous meeting. For example, according to this alternative embodiment, if user A records a session in which user A is browsing a slide, a website, a screen share, or any other collaborative space and sends the record to user B, subsequently, user B can watch and reply. Further, after each session, other participating users receive a notification to view the added response.

[0069] In another alternative embodiment, a virtual meeting session may include control buttons visible to each attendee account among the plurality of attendee accounts, wherein the control button enables switching between a current view and a scattered view (all participants move freely). In other words, the control button is an on / off switch or a group / ungroup button that enables switching between views. More specifically, when the host account clicks on the control button for ungrouping, the plurality of dynamic videos move freely along the default background. Similarly, if any participant account clicks on the control button for grouping, the plurality of dynamic videos are adjacent to each other at one of the suggested positions.

[0070] From Figure 21As can be seen, the sub-process of the present invention includes the step of providing a default background for each attendee account. The default background can be a static picture, a dynamic picture, a three-dimensional (3D) picture, a pattern, or a blank page, and the corresponding PC of each attendee account is provided with this background. The sub-process continues: If the participant account controls the main pointer, the participant account is prompted to use the corresponding PC device to select the shared screen content for the virtual meeting session. The shared screen content is the display material selected by the participant account using the corresponding PC to share with the remaining attendees. Examples of the shared screen content include, but are not limited to, web pages, presentation slides, videos, pictures, etc. To do this, the participant account must control the main pointer, and the dynamic video of the participant account must be displayed in the primary slot. Accordingly, the sub-process continues: If the participant account has selected the shared screen content, the shared screen content is displayed during the virtual meeting session. In other words, once the participant account controls the main pointer and leads the virtual meeting session, the participant account selects and displays the shared screen content to be shared with the remaining attendees during the virtual meeting session. In addition, the sub-process continues: If the participant account controls the main pointer and if the participant account has not selected the shared screen content, the default background of each attendee account is displayed using the corresponding PC device. In other words, if the participant account has not selected any shared screen content, the corresponding PC device of each of the attendees only displays the default background originally provided by its corresponding PC device.

[0071] As can be seen Figure 23 from the above, the sub-process of the present invention includes the step of prompting each attendee account to use the corresponding PC device to select a desired background. The desired background is the background for the virtual meeting session that each attendee account can select using its corresponding PC device. Accordingly, the sub-process continues: If at least one arbitrary account has selected the desired background, the selection of the desired background is relayed from the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account to the remote server, where the arbitrary account is any account among the multiple attendee accounts. In other words, any user from among the multiple attendee accounts can select the desired background with the help of the remote server, and this selection is relayed to the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account. For example, if any account Z among the multiple attendee accounts selects a photo of an elephant as the desired background, the desired background of the elephant photo is only relayed to the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account Z. Further, the sub-process continues: The desired background is designated as the default background of the arbitrary account using the remote server. In other words, the above sub-process of the present invention allows each attendee account among the multiple attendee accounts to select the background they have selected as the background for the virtual meeting session, regardless of the default background of their corresponding PCs.

[0072] Referring to Figure 22, the sub - process of the present invention includes the step of providing a plurality of previous meeting records stored on a remote server. In other words, the present invention enables access to previous meeting records during a virtual meeting session. Accordingly, the sub - process continues: prompting a participant account to use the corresponding PC device to replay a specific record from the plurality of previous meeting records. For example, participant account X may have a label or button visible on the default background of the corresponding PC, from which participant account X can access the plurality of previous meeting records and select the specific record or any single record by clicking on the button or thumbnail associated with the specific record. Further, the sub - process continues: if the participant account selects a specific record, the selection of the specific record is relayed from the corresponding PC device of the host account to the remote server. In other words, once the participant account selects a specific record from the plurality of previous meeting records, the specific record is relayed or transmitted from the participant account to the remote server so that the specific record can be streamed to a plurality of attendee accounts. For this purpose, the sub - process continues: if the participant account selects shared screen content, the remote server designates the specific record as shared screen content. In other words, after selecting the specific record, the specific record is shared as the shared screen content of the virtual meeting session. This enables multiple attendee accounts to be reminded of what happened in a previous video conference and enables follow - up actions related to the previous video conference to be taken during the course of the current virtual meeting session.

[0073] It can be seen from Figure 24 that the sub - process of the present invention includes prompting each attendee account to use the corresponding PC device to select a desired profile image after step C. The desired profile image can be a photo, a picture with the user's initials or full name, or any other random still / moving picture that each attendee decides to display as their dynamic video during the virtual meeting session. Accordingly, the sub - process continues: if at least one random account selects a desired profile image, the selection of the desired profile image is relayed from the corresponding PC device of the random account to the remote server, where the random account is any account among the plurality of attendee accounts. For example, if random account holder A decides to select a picture of an apple from the corresponding PC device of account holder A and selects the picture, the picture of the apple is selected as the desired profile image of random account holder A. Further, the sub - process continues: if the desired profile image is selected to be output by a random account, during steps D and F, the remote server replaces the dynamic video of the random account with the desired profile image of the random account. In other words, once the desired profile image is selected, the profile image is displayed as the dynamic video of random account holder A during the virtual meeting session.

[0074] Referring to Figure 25, the sub - process of the present invention includes providing a default profile image for each attendee account. The default profile image can be a photo of the user automatically selected by the corresponding PC device, an image of the user's initials or full name stored as the default image of the user account during the account registration of the user account, or an image of the simple initials of the user's name. For example, if the user's name is Isaac Thomas, the default profile image of the user account may be IT. Further, the sub - process continues: after step C, each attendee account is prompted to select a desired profile image using the corresponding PC device. As mentioned before, the desired profile image can be a photo, an image with the user's initials or full name, or any other random still / moving image that each attendee decides to display as their dynamic video during the virtual meeting session. Additionally, the sub - process continues: if at least one arbitrary account selects a desired profile image, the selection of the desired profile image is relayed from the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account to the remote server, where the arbitrary account is any account among the multiple attendee accounts. In other words, the selected profile image of the arbitrary account holder is relayed to the remote server. The sub - process further continues: if an arbitrary account selects a desired profile image and if the dynamic video is not available, during steps D and F, the desired profile image of the arbitrary account is used to replace the dynamic video of the arbitrary account using the remote server. However, in an alternative event, where the arbitrary account holder does not select a desired profile image, the displayed dynamic video is the default profile image. More specifically, the sub - process continues: if an arbitrary account does not select a desired profile image and if the dynamic video is not available, during steps D and F, the default profile image of the arbitrary account is used to replace the dynamic video of the arbitrary account using the remote server. For example, if the name of the arbitrary account holder is Thomas Edison and he does not select a desired profile image and he does not turn on the camera of the corresponding PC device, during the virtual meeting session, the initials "TE" are displayed as the dynamic video of the arbitrary account holder.

[0075] Continuing with the preferred embodiment, as Figure 26As shown, the sub - process of the present invention includes the step of prompting the host account to input at least one cursor movement using the corresponding PC device. The at least one cursor movement involves the movement of an arrow cursor on the default background of the corresponding PC of the host account, which is actuated by the movement of a mouse, the movement of a finger on a touchpad, the movement of a stylus or pen on the screen of the corresponding PC device, etc. The sub - process continues: If the cursor movement is input by the host account and if the dynamic video of the host account is displayed in the primary slot, then the cursor movement is performed using the main pointer during the virtual meeting session. In other words, if the cursor movement is input by the host account that also leads the virtual meeting session, then the cursor moves with the main pointer during the virtual meeting session. More specifically, when the arrow cursor on the corresponding PC device of the host account moves, the main pointer follows the movement of the cursor on the corresponding PC device of the host account, such as scrolling following, clicking to the next html page, etc. Optionally, the sub - process continues: If the cursor movement is input by the host account and if the dynamic video of the host account is displayed in the secondary slot, then the cursor movement is performed using a separate pointer during the virtual meeting session, where the separate pointer is only displayed using the corresponding PC device of the host account. In other words, if the host account does not lead the virtual meeting session and the dynamic video of the host account is displayed in the secondary slot, then the cursor movement does not follow the main pointer. In this case, the cursor movement is displayed as the movement of a separate pointer. Here, the separate pointer is free to move independently of the main pointer and is only displayed on the corresponding PC device of the host account. This feature is beneficial because if the host account in the secondary slot needs to regain control of the virtual meeting session or lead the virtual meeting session, the separate pointer can move freely and click on the primary slot. In a preferred embodiment, the cursor and the separate pointer are arrows. However, the cursor can take any other shape, such as the shape of a hand, a finger, a letter, etc.

[0076] In an alternative embodiment, the cursor movement and the main pointer are separate. More specifically, in this embodiment, when the cursor moves to a new position, then the main pointer follows with a slight delay. This enables the host account to click on a participant video and switch control during the virtual meeting session.

[0077] As Figure 27As shown, the sub - process of the present invention includes the step of prompting a participant account to use a corresponding PC device to input at least one cursor movement. The at least one cursor movement involves the movement of an arrow cursor on the default background of the corresponding PC of the participant account, which is actuated by the movement of a mouse, the movement of a finger on a laptop touchpad, the movement of a pen or stylus on the screen of the corresponding PC device, etc. The sub - process continues: If the cursor movement is input by the participant account, and if the dynamic video of the participant account is displayed in the primary slot, then the cursor movement is performed using the main pointer during the virtual meeting session. In other words, if the cursor movement is input by the participant account that also leads the virtual meeting session, then the cursor moves with the main pointer during the virtual meeting session. More specifically, when the arrow cursor on the corresponding PC device of the participant account moves, the main pointer follows the cursor movement on the corresponding PC device of the participant account, such as scroll following, clicking to the next html page, etc. Optionally, the sub - process continues: If the cursor movement is input by the participant account, and if the dynamic video of the participant account is displayed in the secondary slot, then the cursor movement is performed using a separate pointer during the virtual meeting session, where the separate pointer is only displayed using the corresponding PC device of the participant account. In other words, if the participant account does not lead the virtual meeting session and the dynamic video of the participant account is displayed in the secondary slot, then the cursor movement does not follow the main pointer. In this case, the cursor movement is displayed as the movement of a separate pointer. Here, the separate pointer is free to move independently of the main pointer and is only displayed on the corresponding PC device of the participant account. This feature is beneficial because if the participant account in the secondary slot needs to regain control of the virtual meeting session or lead the virtual meeting session, the separate pointer can move freely and click on the primary slot.

[0078] In a preferred embodiment, the primary slot and the secondary slot are circular or bubble - shaped. However, the primary slot and the secondary slot can include any other shape, size, orientation, position, etc., as long as it does not interfere with the intention of the present invention. Additionally, the graphical size of the primary slot is larger than the graphical size of the secondary slot. This enables these comparable graphical spaces to more easily identify the dynamic video of the host account leading the virtual meeting session from the rest of the dynamic videos of multiple attendees within the main pointer.

[0079] In an alternative embodiment, the graphical size of the primary slot is equal to the graphical size of the secondary slot.

[0080] Reference Figure 28, the sub - process of the present invention includes the step of providing a plurality of slot shapes stored on a remote server. The plurality of slot shapes refer to the shapes for displaying the dynamic videos of multiple attendees. Examples of slot shapes include, but are not limited to, circular, triangular, rectangular, human - head - shaped, etc. Further, the sub - process continues: prompting each attendee account to select a specific slot shape from the plurality of slot shapes using the corresponding PC device. In other words, each attendee can select their chosen specific shape from the plurality of slot shapes. The sub - process continues: if at least one arbitrary account selects a specific slot shape, then the selection of the specific slot shape is relayed from the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account to the remote server, and wherein the arbitrary account is any account among the plurality of attendee accounts. In other words, if a slot - shape selection is made by any arbitrary account among the plurality of attendee accounts, then the slot shape is relayed to the remote server. Additionally, the sub - process continues: during the virtual meeting session, the primary slot and the secondary slots are graphically configured into a specific slot shape, where the specific slot shape is displayed using the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account. For example, if an arbitrary account selects a triangular shape as the specific slot shape, then the primary slot and the secondary slots are graphically configured into a triangular shape, and the triangular slot shape is displayed using the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account.

[0081] In a preferred embodiment, at least one participant account is a plurality of participant accounts, and at least one secondary slot is a plurality of secondary slots, wherein the plurality of secondary slots includes at least one visible secondary slot and at least one invisible secondary slot. As Figure 29 shown, the virtual meeting session includes a main screen and a supplementary screen, wherein the primary slot and the visible secondary slots are configured to be displayed on the main screen, and wherein the invisible secondary slots are configured to be displayed on the supplementary screen. More specifically, as Figure 2 shown, the plurality of secondary slots are divided into two categories or groups. That is, a first group of secondary slots or at least one visible secondary slot visible in the main screen of the meeting session, and a second group of secondary slots arranged or shifted in the supplementary screen or a separate screen. In other words, the visible secondary slots constitute the first row of participants seen at the bottom of the main page, and the invisible secondary slots constitute the audience in a separate audience page. Additionally, the plurality of session slots includes a primary slot and a plurality of secondary slots, wherein the dynamic video of each attendee account is displayed in the corresponding slot among the plurality of session slots. In other words, the dynamic videos of the host and the participants together constitute the plurality of session slots.

[0082] From Figure 30As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If the host account controls the main pointer, and if the primary slot follows the main pointer during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the host account to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position using the corresponding PC device. In other words, if the host controls the main pointer, then Host X can move and fix the dynamic video of Host X's account to any position on the main screen. Further, the sub - process continues: If the host account selects to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position, then graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position during the virtual meeting session. Thus, during any part of the virtual meeting session, the fixed primary slot will remain stationary and will not obscure any shared video content.

[0083] From Figure 31 As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If the host account controls the main pointer, and if the primary slot is fixed to the primary desired position during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the host account to make the main pointer follow the primary slot using the corresponding PC device. That is to say, the main pointer will follow the primary slot to anywhere that Host X moves the primary slot to. Further, the sub - process continues: If the host account selects for the main pointer to follow the primary slot, then display the main pointer following the primary slot during the virtual meeting session.

[0084] From Figure 32 As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If a specific participant account controls the main pointer, and if the primary slot follows the main pointer during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the specific participant account to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position on the main screen, where the specific participant account is from a plurality of participant accounts. For example, if Specific Participant Z wants to fix the primary slot to any specific point on the main screen, then Specific Participant Z can choose to do so. Further, the sub - process continues: If the specific participant account selects to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position on the main screen, then graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position during the virtual meeting session. This feature is very useful if the primary slot is blocking the view of any content being presented or shared during the virtual meeting session.

[0085] From Figure 33It can be seen that the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If a specific participant account controls the main pointer, and if a first - level slot is fixed to a first - level desired position on the main screen during a virtual meeting session, then prompt the specific participant account to use the corresponding PC device to make the main pointer followed by the first - level slot, where the specific participant account is from a plurality of participant accounts. For example, if a specific participant Z does not want to fix the first - level slot to any specific point on the main screen and wishes the first - level slot to follow the main pointer, then the specific participant Z can choose to do so. The sub - process continues: If the participant account selects to have the main pointer followed by the first - level slot, then display the main pointer followed by the first - level slot during the virtual meeting session.

[0086] As can be seen from Figure 34 It can be seen that the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If the host account controls the main pointer, and if a visible second - level slot is fixed to a second - level desired position on the main screen during a virtual meeting session, then prompt the host account to graphically fix the visible second - level slot to a new second - level desired position on the main screen using the corresponding PC device. In other words, the host account can fix the visible second - level slot or the first row of participants on the main screen to a new position on the main screen. Thus, the sub - process continues: If the host account selects to graphically fix the second - level slot to a new second - level desired position on the main screen, then graphically fix the visible second - level slot to the new second - level desired position on the main screen during the virtual meeting session.

[0087] As can be seen in Figure 35 It can be seen that the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If a specific participant account controls the main pointer, and if a second - level slot is fixed to a second - level desired position on the main screen during a virtual meeting session, then prompt the specific participant account to graphically fix the visible second - level slot to a new second - level desired position on the main screen using the corresponding PC device, where the specific participant account is from a plurality of participant accounts. In other words, if a specific participant from a plurality of participant accounts feels that the new position will enhance the viewing of the shared content during the virtual meeting session, then he or she can fix the visible second - level slot to the new position on the main screen. Thus, the sub - process continues: If the specific participant account selects to graphically fix the visible second - level slot to a new second - level desired position on the main screen, then graphically fix the visible second - level slot to the new second - level desired position on the main screen during the virtual meeting session.

[0088] As can be seen from Figure 36As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If a specific participant account controls the main pointer, a new visible secondary slot adjacent to the visible secondary slot is graphically generated during the virtual meeting session, where the specific participant account is from a plurality of participant accounts. In other words, as shown in Figure y, when a participant occupies the host position in the primary slot, the host switches to a new position adjacent to the visible secondary slot or the first row of participants. Thus, the sub - process continues: Display the dynamic video of the specific participant account within the primary slot during the virtual meeting session, and display the dynamic video of the host account within the new visible secondary slot during the virtual meeting session. In other words, when the dynamic video of the specific participant occupies the primary slot, the dynamic video of the host account moves to the newly generated position or the new visible secondary slot.

[0089] From Figure 37 As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: If the host account controls the main pointer, a new visible secondary slot is graphically removed from the visible secondary slots during the virtual meeting session. In other words, if the host takes back control of the main pointer and the primary slot, the new visible secondary slot is removed or disappears from the visible secondary slots. Subsequently, the sub - process continues: Display the dynamic video of the host account within the primary slot during the virtual meeting session.

[0090] From Figure 38 As can be seen, the sub - process of the present invention includes the following steps: Provide an original secondary slot from a plurality of secondary slots, where the dynamic video of the specific participant account was previously displayed within the original secondary slot before the specific participant account controls the main pointer. The sub - process continues: When the specific participant account controls the main pointer, the original secondary slot is displayed as an empty slot during the virtual meeting session. For example, if the dynamic video of specific participant Z was previously displayed in the original secondary slot before specific participant Z obtains control of the main pointer by clicking on the primary slot, then the original secondary slot is empty while the dynamic video of specific participant Z is displayed in the primary slot. Further, as Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, after specific participant Z loses control of the main pointer, he or she can return to the original secondary slot. For this purpose, the sub - process continues: After the specific participant account loses control of the main pointer, display the dynamic video of the specific participant account within the original secondary slot during the virtual meeting session.

[0091] As Figure 39As shown, the subprocess of the present invention includes the following steps: Using a remote server to track multiple join timestamps of multiple participant accounts, where each participant account is associated with a corresponding join timestamp. In other words, track and save the time when each participant logs in to the virtual meeting session. The subprocess continues: Using the remote server to specify at least one earlier-joining participant account and at least one later-joining participant account based on the join timestamps, where the earlier-joining participant account and the later-joining participant account are from the multiple participant accounts. More specifically, at least one earlier-joining participant account constitutes the first few attendee accounts to join the meeting, and the later-joining participant accounts constitute the subsequent joiners. The subprocess continues: Displaying the dynamic videos of the earlier-joining participant accounts in the visible secondary slots during the virtual meeting session, and displaying the dynamic videos of the later-joining participant accounts in the invisible secondary slots during the virtual meeting session. In other words, the dynamic videos of the earlier-joining participants are displayed in the visible secondary slots or the front row of the participants in the order they joined the meeting. Then, as more and more later-joining participants log in to the virtual meeting session, invisible secondary slots are added on a separate viewer screen or in a supplementary screen.

[0092] From Figure 40As can be seen, the sub-process of the present invention includes the following steps: providing at least one late-joining participant account as a plurality of late-joining participant accounts, where at least one invisible secondary slot is a plurality of invisible secondary slots, and where each late-joining participant account is associated with a corresponding invisible secondary slot among the plurality of invisible secondary slots. In other words, the dynamic videos of the plurality of late-joining participant accounts are displayed in the plurality of invisible secondary slots, and each late-joining participant account is associated with one invisible slot. The sub-process continues: prompting each late-joining participant account to graphically click on another invisible secondary slot so as to switch the dynamic video of a specific late-joining participant account to another invisible secondary slot, where the specific late-joining participant account is from the plurality of late-joining participant accounts. In other words, the participants within the supplementary page or the audience page can choose to switch between the invisible secondary slots just like switching seats in the real world. For example, a specific late-joining participant Z can choose the slot (another invisible secondary slot) located at K. The sub-process further continues: if another invisible secondary slot is graphically clicked by a specific late-joining participant account, then during the virtual meeting session, the dynamic video of the specific late-joining participant account is displayed within the other invisible secondary slot, and the dynamic video of another late-joining participant account is displayed within the original invisible secondary slot, where the original invisible secondary slot is from the plurality of invisible secondary slots, and where the dynamic video of the specific late-joining participant account was previously displayed within the original invisible secondary slot, and where the dynamic video of another late-joining participant account was previously displayed within the other invisible secondary slot. In other words, if participant Z was initially located at position O (the original invisible secondary slot), and participant K was initially located at position L (another invisible secondary slot), and Z clicks on position L, then the dynamic video of K will be displayed at position O, and the dynamic video of Z will be shifted to position L.

[0093] As Figure 41As shown, the sub - process of the present invention includes the step of displaying a main screen to each attendee account during a virtual meeting session. The sub - process continues: prompting each attendee account to view a supplementary screen using the corresponding PC device. In other words, all attendees of the meeting will primarily see the main page when logging into the virtual meeting session. To view a participant in an invisible secondary slot or supplementary screen, each of the attendee accounts needs to click a button or select a tab pointing to the supplementary screen. For this purpose, the sub - process continues: if at least one arbitrary attendee account selects to view the supplementary screen, the supplementary screen is displayed to the arbitrary attendee account during the virtual meeting session, where the arbitrary attendee account is any account from among the multiple attendee accounts. The sub - process further continues: if the supplementary screen is displayed to an arbitrary attendee account, prompting that arbitrary attendee account to view the main screen using the corresponding PC device, and if an arbitrary attendee account selects to view the main screen, the main screen is displayed to that arbitrary attendee account during the virtual meeting session. In other words, after making an appropriate selection, any arbitrary attendee account can choose between viewing the main screen and the supplementary screen at any point in time during the virtual meeting session.

[0094] In an alternative embodiment, the host of the session can grant additional rights to the visible secondary slot, such as the microphone always being on, or restrict the switching of positions (slot seats). Additionally, when a user in the audience (invisible secondary slot) switches to the first row (visible secondary slot), the authorization will be automatically granted. Further, when a user in the first row (visible secondary slot position) switches to the audience, the permissions will also be adjusted.

[0095] Although the present invention has been explained with respect to its preferred embodiments, it should be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for a graphical user interface (GUI) to manage virtual telephone conferences, the method comprising the following steps: (A) Providing a plurality of user accounts managed by at least one remote server, wherein each user account is associated with a corresponding personal computing (PC) device; (B) Providing at least one virtual conference session managed by the remote server, wherein the virtual conference session includes a plurality of attendee accounts, a main pointer, a primary slot, and at least one secondary slot, and wherein the attendee accounts are designated from the plurality of user accounts, and wherein the attendee accounts include a host account and at least one participant account, and wherein the primary slot is configured to follow the main pointer during the virtual conference session or be fixed to a primary desired position during the virtual conference session, and wherein the secondary slot is configured to be fixed to a secondary desired position during the virtual conference session; (C) Receiving dynamic videos from each attendee account using the corresponding PC device; (D) During the virtual conference session, initially displaying the dynamic video of the host account in the primary slot and the dynamic video of the participant account in the secondary slot; (E) Prompting the participant account to graphically click on the primary slot using the corresponding PC device so as to switch the dynamic video of the participant account into the primary slot; (F) If the primary slot is graphically clicked by the participant account, during the virtual conference session, displaying the dynamic video of the participant account in the primary slot and the dynamic video of the host account in the secondary slot; (G) If the dynamic video of the host account is displayed in the primary slot, enabling control of the main pointer during the virtual conference session using the corresponding PC device of the host account; (H) If the dynamic video of the participant account is displayed in the primary slot, enabling control of the main pointer during the virtual conference session using the corresponding PC device of the participant account.

2. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps: After step (G), prompting the host account to graphically click on the secondary slot using the corresponding PC device so as to switch the dynamic video of the participant account into the primary slot; And If the secondary slot is graphically clicked by the host account, during the virtual conference session, displaying the dynamic video of the participant account in the primary slot and the dynamic video of the host account in the secondary slot.

3. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps: After step (H), prompting the host account to graphically click on the primary slot using the corresponding PC device so as to switch the dynamic video of the host account into the primary slot; And If the first-level slot is graphically clicked by the participant account, during the virtual meeting session, the dynamic video of the host account is displayed within the first-level slot and the dynamic video of the participant account is displayed within the second-level slot.

4. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: If the host account controls the main pointer and if the first-level slot follows the main pointer during the virtual meeting session, prompt the host account to graphically fix the first-level slot to the first desired position using the corresponding PC device; If the host account selects to graphically fix the first-level slot to the first desired position, graphically fix the first-level slot to the first desired position during the virtual meeting session; If the host account controls the main pointer and if the first-level slot is fixed to the first desired position during the virtual meeting session, prompt the host account to cause the main pointer to follow the first-level slot using the corresponding PC device; and If the host account selects that the main pointer follows the first-level slot, display the main pointer following the first-level slot during the virtual meeting session.

5. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: If the participant account controls the main pointer and if the first-level slot follows the main pointer during the virtual meeting session, prompt the participant account to graphically fix the first-level slot to the first desired position using the corresponding PC device; If the participant account selects to graphically fix the first-level slot to the first desired position, graphically fix the first-level slot to the first desired position during the virtual meeting session; If the participant account controls the main pointer and if the first-level slot is fixed to the first desired position during the virtual meeting session, prompt the participant account to cause the main pointer to follow the first-level slot using the corresponding PC device; and If the participant account selects that the main pointer follows the first-level slot, display the main pointer following the first-level slot during the virtual meeting session.

6. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: If the host account controls the main pointer and if the second-level slot is fixed to the second desired position during the virtual meeting session, prompt the host account to graphically fix the second-level slot to a new second desired position using the corresponding PC device; and If the host account selects to graphically fix the second-level slot to the new second desired position, graphically fix the second-level slot to the new second desired position during the virtual meeting session.

7. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: If the participant account controls the main pointer and if the secondary slot is fixed to the secondary desired position during the virtual meeting session, prompt the participant account to graphically fix the secondary slot to a new secondary desired position using the corresponding PC device; and If the participant account selects to graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position, graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position during the virtual meeting session.

8. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: Providing a default background for each attendee account; If the host account controls the main pointer, prompt the host account to select shared screen content for the virtual meeting session using the corresponding PC device; If the host account selects the shared screen content, display the shared screen content during the virtual meeting session; And If the host account controls the main pointer and if the host account does not select the shared screen content, display the default background of each attendee account using the corresponding PC device.

9. The method according to claim 8, the method comprising the steps of: Prompting each attendee account to select a desired background using the corresponding PC device; If at least one arbitrary account selects the desired background, relay the selection of the desired background from the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account to the remote server, where the arbitrary account is any account among the plurality of attendee accounts; And Designating the desired background as the default background of the arbitrary account using the remote server.

10. The method according to claim 8, the method comprising the steps of: Providing a plurality of previous meeting records stored on the remote server; Prompting the host account to replay a specific record from the plurality of previous meeting records using the corresponding PC device; If the host account selects the specific record, relay the selection of the specific record from the corresponding PC device of the host account to the remote server; And If the host account selects the shared screen content, designating the specific record as the shared screen content using the remote server.

11. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of: Providing a default background for each attendee account; If the participant account controls the main pointer, prompt the participant account to select shared screen content for the virtual meeting session using the corresponding PC device; If the participant account selects the shared screen content, display the shared screen content during the virtual meeting session; And If the participant account controls the main pointer and if the participant account does not select the shared screen content, display the default background of each attendee account using the corresponding PC device.

12. The method according to claim 11, the method comprising the following steps: Prompting each attendee account to use the corresponding PC device to select a desired background; If at least one random account selects the desired background, relaying the selection of the desired background from the corresponding PC device of the random account to the remote server, wherein the random account is any account among the plurality of attendee accounts; And Designating the desired background as the default background of the random account using the remote server.

13. The method according to claim 11, the method comprising the following steps: Providing a plurality of previous meeting records stored on the remote server; Prompting the participant account to use the corresponding PC device to replay a specific record from the plurality of previous meeting records; If the participant account selects the specific record, relaying the selection of the specific record from the corresponding PC device of the participant account to the remote server; and If the participant account selects the shared screen content, designating the specific record as the shared screen content using the remote server.

14. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps: After step (C), prompting each attendee account to use the corresponding PC device to select a desired profile image; If the at least one random account selects the desired profile image, relaying the selection of the desired profile image from the corresponding PC device of the random account to the remote server, wherein the random account is any account among the plurality of attendee accounts; Prompting the random account to use the corresponding PC device to output the desired profile image; And If the desired profile image is selected to be output by the random account, replacing the dynamic video of the random account with the desired profile image of the random account using the remote server during steps (D) and (F).

15. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps: Providing a default profile image for each attendee account; After step (C), prompting each attendee account to use the corresponding PC device to select a desired profile image; If the at least one random account selects the desired profile image, relaying the selection of the desired profile image from the corresponding PC device of the random account to the remote server, wherein the random account is any account among the plurality of attendee accounts; If the random account selects the desired profile image and if the dynamic video is unavailable, replacing the dynamic video of the random account with the desired profile image of the random account using the remote server during steps (D) and (F); And If the random account does not select the desired profile image and if the dynamic video is unavailable, replacing the dynamic video of the random account with the default profile image of the random account using the remote server during steps (D) and (F).

16. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps: Prompt the host account to input at least one cursor movement using the corresponding PC device; If the cursor movement is input by the host account and if the dynamic video of the host account is displayed in the primary slot, perform the cursor movement using the main pointer during the virtual meeting session; And If the cursor movement is input by the host account and if the dynamic video of the host account is displayed in the secondary slot, perform the cursor movement using a separate pointer during the virtual meeting session, wherein the separate pointer is only displayed using the corresponding PC device of the host account.

17. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps: Prompt the participant account to input at least one cursor movement using the corresponding PC device; If the cursor movement is input by the participant account and if the dynamic video of the participant account is displayed in the primary slot, perform the cursor movement using the main pointer during the virtual meeting session; And If the cursor movement is input by the participant account and if the dynamic video of the participant account is displayed in the secondary slot, perform the cursor movement using a separate pointer during the virtual meeting session, wherein the separate pointer is only displayed using the corresponding PC device of the participant account.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein The graphical size of the primary slot is greater than or equal to the graphical size of the secondary slot.

19. The method according to claim 1, the method comprising the following steps: Provide a plurality of slot shapes stored on the remote server; Prompt each attendee account to select a specific slot shape from the plurality of slot shapes using the corresponding PC device; If at least one arbitrary account selects the specific slot shape, relay the selection of the specific slot shape from the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account to the remote server, and wherein the arbitrary account is any account among the plurality of attendee accounts; And During the virtual meeting session, graphically configure the primary slot and the secondary slot into the specific slot shape, wherein the specific slot shape is displayed using the corresponding PC device of the arbitrary account.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein The at least one participant account is a plurality of participant accounts, and wherein the at least one secondary slot is a plurality of secondary slots, and wherein the plurality of secondary slots include at least one visible secondary slot and at least one invisible secondary slot, and wherein the virtual meeting session includes a main screen and a supplementary screen, and wherein the primary slot and the visible secondary slot are configured to be displayed on the main screen, and wherein the invisible secondary slot is configured to be displayed on the supplementary screen, and wherein the plurality of session slots include the primary slot and the plurality of secondary slots, and wherein the dynamic video of each attendee account is displayed in the corresponding slot among the plurality of session slots.

21. The method according to claim 20, the method comprising the following steps: If the host account controls the main pointer and if the primary slot follows the main pointer during the virtual meeting session, prompt the host account to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position on the main screen using the corresponding PC device; If the host account selects to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position on the main screen, graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position on the main screen during the virtual meeting session; If the host account controls the main pointer and if the primary slot is fixed to the primary desired position on the main screen during the virtual meeting session, prompt the host account to make the main pointer follow the primary slot using the corresponding PC device; And If the host account selects that the main pointer follows the primary slot, display the main pointer following the primary slot during the virtual meeting session.

22. The method according to claim 20, the method comprising the following steps: If a specific participant account controls the main pointer and if the primary slot follows the main pointer during the virtual meeting session, prompt the specific participant account to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position on the main screen using the corresponding PC device, wherein the specific participant account is from the plurality of participant accounts; And If the specific participant account selects to graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position on the main screen, graphically fix the primary slot to the primary desired position on the main screen during the virtual meeting session.

23. The method according to claim 20, the method comprising the following steps: If a specific participant account controls the main pointer and if the primary slot is fixed to the primary desired position on the main screen during the virtual meeting session, prompt the specific participant account to make the main pointer follow the primary slot using the corresponding PC device, wherein the specific participant account is from the plurality of participant accounts; And If the specific participant account selects that the main pointer follows the primary slot, display the main pointer following the primary slot during the virtual meeting session.

24. The method according to claim 20, the method comprising the following steps: If the host account controls the main pointer and if the visible secondary slot is fixed to the secondary desired position on the main screen during the virtual meeting session, prompt the host account to graphically fix the visible secondary slot to a new secondary desired position on the main screen using the corresponding PC device; and If the host account selects to graphically fix the secondary slot to the new secondary desired position on the main screen, then during the virtual meeting session, graphically fix the visible secondary slot to the new secondary desired position on the main screen.

25. The method according to claim 20, the method comprising the steps of: If a specific participant account controls the main pointer, and if the secondary slot is fixed to the secondary desired position on the main screen during the virtual meeting session, then prompt the specific participant account to graphically fix the visible secondary slot to a new secondary desired position on the main screen using the corresponding PC device, wherein the specific participant account is from the plurality of participant accounts; And If the specific participant account selects to graphically fix the visible secondary slot to the new secondary desired position on the main screen, then during the virtual meeting session, graphically fix the visible secondary slot to the new secondary desired position on the main screen.

26. The method according to claim 20, the method comprising the steps of: If a specific participant account controls the main pointer, then graphically generate a new visible secondary slot adjacent to the visible secondary slot during the virtual meeting session, wherein the specific participant account is from the plurality of participant accounts; During the virtual meeting session, display the dynamic video of the specific participant account in the primary slot; During the virtual meeting session, display the dynamic video of the host account in the new visible secondary slot; If the host account controls the main pointer, then graphically remove the new visible secondary slot from the visible secondary slot during the virtual meeting session; And During the virtual meeting session, display the dynamic video of the host account in the primary slot.

27. The method according to claim 26, the method comprising the steps of: Provide an original secondary slot from the plurality of secondary slots, wherein the dynamic video of the specific participant account was previously displayed in the original secondary slot before the specific participant account controls the main pointer; When the specific participant account controls the main pointer, display the original secondary slot as an empty slot during the virtual meeting session; And After the specific participant account loses control of the main pointer, display the dynamic video of the specific participant account in the original secondary slot during the virtual meeting session.

28. The method according to claim 20, the method comprising the steps of: Use the remote server to track the plurality of join timestamps of the plurality of participant accounts, wherein each participant account is associated with a corresponding join timestamp; Use the remote server to specify at least one earlier-joined participant account and at least one later-joined participant account based on the join timestamps, wherein the earlier-joined participant account and the later-joined participant account are from the plurality of participant accounts; During the virtual meeting session, display the dynamic video of the earlier joined participant account in the visible secondary slot; And During the virtual meeting session, display the dynamic video of the later joined participant account in the invisible secondary slot.

29. The method according to claim 28, the method comprising the steps of: Provide the at least one later joined participant account as a plurality of later joined participant accounts, wherein the at least one invisible secondary slot is a plurality of invisible secondary slots, and wherein each later joined participant account is associated with a corresponding invisible secondary slot in the plurality of invisible secondary slots; Prompt each later joined participant account to graphically click on another invisible secondary slot so as to switch the dynamic video of a particular later joined participant account into the another invisible secondary slot, wherein the particular later joined participant account is from the plurality of later joined participant accounts; And If the another invisible secondary slot is graphically clicked by the particular later joined participant account, then during the virtual meeting session, display the dynamic video of the particular later joined participant account in the another invisible secondary slot, and display the dynamic video of another later joined participant account in the original invisible secondary slot, wherein the original invisible secondary slot is from the plurality of invisible secondary slots, and wherein the dynamic video of the particular later joined participant account was previously displayed in the original invisible secondary slot, and wherein the dynamic video of the another later joined participant account was previously displayed in the another invisible secondary slot.

30. The method according to claim 20, the method comprising the steps of: During the virtual meeting session, display the main screen to each attendee account; Prompt each attendee account to view the supplementary screen using the corresponding PC device; If at least one random attendee account selects to view the supplementary screen, then during the virtual meeting session, display the supplementary screen to the random attendee account, wherein the random attendee account is any account from the plurality of attendee accounts; If the supplementary screen is displayed to the random attendee account, then prompt the random attendee account to view the main screen using the corresponding PC device; And If the random attendee account selects to view the main screen, then during the virtual meeting session, display the main screen to the random attendee account.

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