Computer-implemented methods, computer systems, and computer programs for distributing content in a virtual meeting session.

Abstract

To provide a computer-implemented method, a computer system and a computer program product or computer program for distributing content in a virtual meeting session.SOLUTION: The method comprises: extracting from a presentation a plurality of embedded graphics selected from a group consisting of web links, images and video data; transmitting the plurality of embedded graphics to a participant computing device; and displaying a virtual meeting dashboard including the plurality of embedded graphics.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to real-time sharing of related information in virtual meetings. Embodiments generally relate to sharing related information in real time among participants in a virtual meeting environment, and more specifically, in a virtual meeting.

Background Art

[0002] It may be common to use a video phone service on the Internet, or conduct a "virtual meeting", or a combination thereof, to collaborate with others in a work or personal setting. A video phone can enable the reception and transmission of audio-video signals by multiple users in different locations, thereby providing a means for communicating video and audio in real time between people. Each meeting participant can use a personal computing device, such as a smartphone, a tablet computing device or a personal computer, to communicate the participant's own video image along with the audio of the participant's voice. Each person participating in the virtual meeting can participate from any selected location, such as an office location, or from home. The virtual meeting software application can include a dashboard display that includes audio and video from the participants and information related to the virtual meeting and its participants.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides a computer-implemented method, a computer system, and a computer program for distributing content in a virtual meeting session.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] The method may include extracting a plurality of embedded graphics from a presentation on a presenter computing device. The plurality of embedded graphics are selected from a group consisting of web links, images, and video data. The method may also include transmitting the plurality of embedded graphics to participant computing devices. Finally, the method may include displaying a virtual meeting dashboard, which includes the plurality of embedded graphics.

[0005] In an alternative embodiment, extracting the plurality of embedded graphics from the presentation may include determining whether each of the plurality of embedded graphics contains sensitive information, and also including extracting one embedded graphic in response that one of the plurality of embedded graphics does not contain sensitive information.

[0006] In another embodiment, the method may include determining the type of embedded graphic for each of the multiple embedded graphics included in the presentation, and also including storing the determined type as metadata associated with the embedded graphic.

[0007] In a further embodiment, determining the type of the embedded graphic may include using a machine learning model to classify the embedded graphic by the determined type.

[0008] In another embodiment, the transmission of the multiple embedded graphics to the participant computing device may occur when the participant computing device connects to the virtual meeting session.

[0009] In another embodiment, displaying the virtual meeting dashboard may include receiving a preferred type of embedded graphic from a participant and comparing the preferred type with the type of embedded graphic for each of the multiple embedded graphics. Finally, in this embodiment, displaying the virtual meeting dashboard may include displaying the embedded graphic in the virtual meeting dashboard if the preferred type matches the type of the embedded graphic.

[0010] In a further embodiment, displaying the virtual meeting dashboard may include obtaining a screen image of the participant computing device and determining whether the screen image includes the embedded graphics. Finally, in this embodiment, displaying the virtual meeting dashboard may include displaying the embedded graphics in the virtual meeting dashboard in response to the screen image including the embedded graphics.

[0011] In addition to the methods implemented in computers, additional embodiments are directed toward systems and computer program products for dynamically identifying shared documents. In one embodiment, a computer program product is provided for distributing content in a virtual meeting session, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage device having embedded program instructions therein, the program instructions being executable by a processor, which causes the processor to perform a method comprising extracting a plurality of embedded graphics from a presentation, wherein the plurality of embedded graphics are selected from a group consisting of web links, images and video data, transmitting the plurality of embedded graphics to participant computing devices, and displaying a virtual meeting dashboard, wherein the virtual meeting dashboard includes the plurality of embedded graphics.

[0012] This summary is provided to introduce, in a simplified form, a selection of concepts further described in the following detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify the principal or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the internal and external components of the computer and server shown in Figure 2, according to at least one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a computing environment that may be used to create a presentation during the setup of a virtual meeting and also to conduct a virtual meeting session over a network, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 3]Figure 3 shows a flowchart illustrating a method according to one or more embodiments. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a cloud computing environment according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an abstraction model layer according to an exemplary embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] As remote work and global collaboration expand, the use of collaboration tools, such as video conferencing and virtual meetings, is likely to become more common. During a virtual meeting, the presenter may share the screen of their computing device and display a presentation they have created, which may, among other things, include tables, graphics, or web links. The presenter may share documents in advance, but if they are not, it can be frustrating for participants who want to review the relevant materials or view additional content from documents not displayed on the shared screen. If web links are shared, participants may need to manually copy them or ask the presenter or other participants to copy the links into the text chat function, where the participants may have web links referenced in the presentation. These requirements can result in one or more participants losing important information, thereby wasting valuable collaborative time and reducing the productivity of the meeting.

[0015] Therefore, if the presenter or host of a virtual meeting does not have the content within the presentation automatically sent in advance, or does not provide participants in the virtual meeting with a customizable view of the relevant content within the presentation, or a combination of both, it may be advantageous to have a way for meeting participants to automatically send the content within the presentation in advance. Thus, participants do not need to manually search for such content in local or cloud storage, or request that the content be forwarded to them as a link in a text conversation, as an email containing a specific graphic file, or as the presentation itself. Such a method may enhance the technical capabilities of either or both of the software applications used to create the presentation and other meeting content, and the virtual meeting software application. Such a method may also improve professional and personal productivity in virtual meetings.

[0016] Referring to Figure 1, a block diagram of computing device 100 is shown, in which a method included in the embodiments described herein may be implemented. Examples of computing systems, environments, or configurations or combinations thereof that may be represented by computing device 100 include, but are not limited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients, handheld devices or laptop devices, microprocessor-based systems, network PCs, minicomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments comprising any of the systems or devices already described. Computing device 100 may comprise one or more central processor units (CPUs) 102, input / output modules 104, network adapters 106, and memory 108. The CPU 102 executes program instructions to perform the functions of the communication system and method. Figure 1 shows an embodiment in which computing device 100 is implemented as a computer system having a single processor, where the CPU 102 utilizes system resources, such as memory 108, input / output modules 104, and network adapters 106. However, the communication system and method also encompass embodiments in which the computing device 100 may be implemented as multiple networked computer systems, which may be multiprocessor computer systems.

[0017] The input / output module 104 provides functions for inputting data to or outputting data from the computing device 100. For example, the input / output module 104 may include input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, trackball, scanner, analog-to-digital converter, etc., and output devices such as a video adapter, monitor, printer, etc., as well as other input / output devices such as a modem, etc. Each computing device 100 also includes a network adapter 106, such as a TCP / IP adapter card, wireless Wi-Fi interface card, or 3G or 4G wireless interface card, or other wired or wireless communication links. The generation module 120 or display module 124 and the virtual meeting application 206 may communicate with an external computer via the network 110, which may include, but is not limited to, any public or private LAN or WAN, such as the Internet, and individual network adapters or interfaces.

[0018] Memory 108 stores program instructions executed by CPU 102 and data used and processed by CPU 102 in order to perform the functions of computing device 100. Memory 108 may include, for example, electronic memory devices such as random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory, as well as electromechanical memory such as magnetic disk drives, tape drives, and optical disk drives. It may also include Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) interfaces or their extensions, such as enhanced IDE (EIDE) or Ultra-Direct Memory Access (UDMA), or Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) based interfaces or their variations or extensions, such as Fast-SCSI, Wide-SCSI, Fast and Wide-SCSI, or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA). It includes an Attachment, or a modified or extended version thereof, or a Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) interface.

[0019] The contents of memory 108 may vary depending on the functions programmed for the computing device 100 to perform. In the example shown in Figure 1, exemplary memory contents representing routines and data for embodiments of the methods described herein are shown. However, these routines, along with the associated memory contents, do not necessarily have to reside in a single system or device, and it may be recognized, based on well-known engineering considerations, that they may be distributed across multiple systems or devices. The communication system and method may encompass any and all such configurations. In an example of creating a presentation or other content for display in a virtual meeting on computing device 100, memory 108 may comprise a presentation application 208, which may also comprise a generation module 120, as shown in the configuration of Figure 2. In an example where computing device 100 connects to a virtual meeting using a virtual meeting application 206, a display module 124 may be loaded into memory 108. In both examples, either the generation module 120 or the display module 124 can access the content database 122 to read from or write to the database and facilitate the distribution or display of content from the presentation to participants of the virtual meeting. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that the modules shown in Figure 1 are not the only modules that can be loaded into memory 108. Only the modules required for one potential embodiment are shown for the sake of brevity of the description.

[0020] Referring to Figure 2, a block diagram of a computing environment that may be used to create a presentation during virtual meeting setup and to conduct a virtual meeting session, according to at least one embodiment. The networked computer environment 200 may comprise a presenter computing device 202 and one or more participant computing devices 204 interconnected via a communication network 110. According to at least one implementation, the networked computer environment 200 may comprise multiple participant computing devices 204, of which only three are shown.

[0021] The communication network 110 may encompass various types of communication networks, such as wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), telecommunications networks, wireless networks, public switching networks, or satellite networks, or combinations thereof. The communication network 110 may include connections, such as wired communication links, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables. The communication network 110 may also include additional hardware, such as routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, or edge servers, or combinations thereof. Figure 2 provides only an example of one implementation and should be understood as not implying any limitations regarding environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environment may be made based on design and implementation requirements. Thus, the communication network 110 may represent any communication path between various components of the networked computer environment 200.

[0022] As will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the virtual meeting application 206 that executes a virtual meeting on the presenter computing device 202 and the participant computing device 204 may also operate in a cloud computing service model, such as software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), or infrastructure as a service (IaaS). The server that executes the virtual meeting application 206 on the devices participating in the virtual meeting may also be placed in a cloud computing deployment model, such as a private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud.

[0023] The presenter computing device 202 may be a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, or any programmable electronic device or any network of such programmable electronic devices capable of hosting and running the presentation application 208 and the virtual meeting application 206. The presenter computing device 202 may be used to create a presentation before a virtual meeting session, in which case the presentation application 208 may also be used to create a presentation 210 and to establish and maintain a virtual meeting session with the virtual meeting application 206, which has screen sharing capabilities. The screen sharing capabilities of the virtual meeting application 206 may be configured to allow the presenter to use the presenter computing device 202 to share a displayed video, for example, a video encompassing the computer's open desktop and software application windows, for example, a software application window encompassing the display of the presentation 210 within the context of a virtual meeting session, as shown in Figure 2. The shared video may be a playback of the entire screen or a portion of the screen displayed locally on the computing device. In the case of a computing device with multiple screens, the virtual meeting application 206 may also share any of the available screens. The PreCenter can configure the virtual meeting application 206 to display any screens required for the virtual meeting. As discussed with reference to Figure 1, the presenter computing device 202 may encompass the computing device 100.

[0024] The participant computing device 204 may also include a virtual meeting application 206 configured to display the screen shared by the presenter computing device 202 and communicate with other virtual meeting computer devices via the communication network 110. The virtual meeting application 206 may provide a user interface, which, according to an exemplary embodiment, (as shown in FIG. 2) allows a virtual meeting participant using the participant computing device 204 to view other participants and the presenter in the virtual meeting, and also receive the screen image shared by the presenter from the presenter computing device 202. The participant computing device 204 can be, for example, a mobile device, a phone, a personal digital assistant, a netbook, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or any type of computing device capable of running a program and accessing a network. As discussed with reference to FIG. 1, the participant computing device 204 may include the computing device 100.

[0025] The generation module 120 or display module 124 may, depending on the device and configuration, work in conjunction with either or both of the virtual meeting application 206 and presentation application 208 on multiple participant computing devices 204 in the configuration shown in Figure 2. The corresponding module may, depending on the device and configuration, be individual software loaded separately within the computing device, or it may be embedded within the virtual meeting application 206 or presentation application 208. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that although the generation module 120 or display module 124 operates on a specific computing device, the software does not need to be physically loaded or installed on the hardware, but may reside on a server for the virtual meeting session. The same applies to the virtual meeting application 206 itself, since the virtual meeting session may reside entirely in the cloud and be hosted by a virtual meeting server not shown.

[0026] In the embodiment of Figure 2, the presenter may create a presentation document, e.g., Presentation 210, in which text, web links, and graphics are embedded. For example, a virtual meeting may be called for a specific reason requiring such a document to support an oral presentation, and the speaker may create the document for the purpose of supporting their work. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a presentation document can be created in many ways, most commonly using a software application specifically designed to create presentation documents, such as Presentation Documents, e.g., Presentation Application 208. During the creation of the presentation document, or alternatively once it is completed, the presentation document may be examined for embedded graphics or web links, which may be useful later in the context of the meeting, so that participants can view them independently, or, in the case of web links, so that the actual links can be displayed on the participants' screens so that they can independently click the links to view the desired web pages. As an example of content that may be selected for extraction and storage, the presentation document may include useful web links to policies to be discussed, or other websites with more detailed information that may be discussed during the virtual meeting session. In another example of useful content, the presentation document may include statistical tables that are likely to be highly relevant to the topic of the virtual meeting.

[0027] Embedded graphics or web links that may be found can be extracted and stored in a database, such as the content database 122, or in flash memory or temporary storage on a computing device for retrieval. Such inspection, extraction, and storage can be achieved by the generation module 120 using appropriate algorithms, such as object recognition for finding images of graphs, tables, or other statistical diagrams, or text recognition for finding text, such as web links.

[0028] The generation module 120 may be embedded within a software application used to create a presentation, such as a presentation application 208, as shown in Figure 2, or it may be loaded separately on a computing device and run. The generation module 120 may be configured to find all graphics in a presentation document, or filters may be used to limit what is extracted. For example, if a graphic or web link is considered to contain sensitive information, such as information that could be confidential or personal, that graphic or web link may be excluded from extraction or storage. In addition to this filtering, labels may also be created for embedded graphics that indicate the type of graphic that may be stored, such as “Link” indicating a web link or “Table” indicating a statistical table. These labels may be stored as metadata associated with the embedded graphic, such as an additional field in a database that contains the embedded graphic. These labels may be useful for navigating the database and finding the desired type of embedded graphic provided for participants in a virtual meeting to filter the view of the virtual meeting dashboard, as described below. In addition, the presenter may choose to extract and save only certain graphics by type, in which case only embedded graphics of a specific type may be extracted and saved.

[0029] It should also be noted that extraction and saving are not limited to presentation documents that may be created before the virtual meeting. As illustrated with respect to Figure 3, if a participant unexpectedly becomes a presenter in the virtual meeting session, A presentation that can be shared can be scanned, any embedded graphics subject to the above-described filters can be extracted, and then saved in the same manner as the presentation document in the example in Figure 2.

[0030] In the example shown in Figure 2, a virtual meeting session may be established between a presenter computing device 202 and one or more participant computing devices 204, and the presenter may begin sharing a presentation with the participants. The presenter and participants may join the virtual meeting using an application, for example, a virtual meeting application 206 located on either the presenter computing device 202 or the participant computing device 204, thereby enabling multiple participants to virtually participate with one presenter and multiple participants. While the virtual meeting itself requires that the computing devices have a single host for connection purposes, the computing device that initiates the virtual meeting session, e.g., the meeting host, and the presenter do not need to be the same person, because both the presenter computing device 202 and the participant computing device 204 have the ability to share presentations in the virtual meeting session. Anyone connected to the virtual meeting can be a presenter or a participant. For the purpose of distributing content in the virtual meeting, the virtual meeting is initiated, and once a person sends a presentation via the virtual meeting application 206, the remaining computing devices are considered participant computing devices. The original host device can change its role so that it becomes a participant. Therefore, any of the modules in Figure 1, including the display module 124, can reside on any computing device in the system, even if they are not currently running on a particular computing device.

[0031] In an established virtual meeting session, the presentation image can be shared with all participants. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, this can be achieved through a virtual meeting application 206, which can project the image from the presenter computing device 202 screen onto the screens of all connected participants. However, it should be noted that the virtual meeting application 206 is not required for the virtual meeting session to be established. Only the group of participants need to be connected to each other for the purpose of collaboration.

[0032] In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, once the presentation document has been inspected and all relevant embedded graphics or web links have been extracted and stored in memory, a list of the embedded graphics themselves or graphics with links to actual files may be sent to all participants in the virtual meeting session. This transmission may occur at any time, for example, immediately after the embedded graphics are stored, or alternatively, at any time when the virtual meeting session may be established. As an example of immediate transmission, if the presentation is linked to a particular virtual meeting from which it may have been invoked, and there may be participants associated with that virtual meeting session along with their contact details, the participants' contact information may then be used to send the embedded graphics to the participant computing device 204. In another transmission example, the embedded graphics may be stored on the presenter computing device 202, and once a participant connects to the established virtual meeting session, the embedded graphics may be sent to the participant computing device 204.

[0033] Once participant computing device 204 has retrieved the embedded graphics from the presentation document, display module 124 may be used to overlay a virtual meeting dashboard onto the shared screen of the virtual meeting session. Alternatively, the virtual meeting dashboard may be opened as a separate window on participant computing device 204. The virtual meeting dashboard may display the embedded graphics that participant computing device 204 may have received, so that participants can independently have relevant information. There may be a default setting to display all received information within the virtual meeting dashboard, and participants may have the option to configure the virtual meeting dashboard to filter what can be displayed. As described below, this may include limiting the view to only the graphics currently displayed on the shared screen of the virtual meeting session. In other embodiments, a participant may configure the virtual meeting dashboard to display only certain types of embedded graphics that may be specified by the participant. Figure 2 shows the display module 124 embedded in the virtual meeting application 206, while it should be noted that the display module 124 can also be loaded and run separately from any other software in a similar manner to the generation module 120.

[0034] As an example of the display on participant computing device 204, a participant in a virtual meeting may be viewing a presentation, and the screen may be split so that a sidebar can be opened containing a list of content available from the presentation, such as links, tables, or graphics. In this example, the participant would be allowed to directly access any of these items without having to search or ask other participants for help in receiving the content. This may include clicking text if the graphic is a web link for direct access to a destination, in which case the destination web page may open within the virtual meeting dashboard or in a separate window. In one embodiment, a web browser running on participant computing device 204 may be opened to guide the participant to the destination of the web link. If the embedded graphic is a statistical chart or some other image, the virtual meeting dashboard may display the actual image within the virtual meeting dashboard, or it may display a thumbnail image or some text which may link to the actual image in a database that has been sent to participant computing device 204. In the case of diagrams or images, opening the embedded graphics can be achieved in cooperation with the display module 124, the virtual meeting application 206, any combination thereof, or with a suitable separate software application that can be designed to open diagrams or images. The virtual meeting dashboard may be a separate display on the screen of the participant computing device 204 for accessing the embedded graphics, independently of the presentation in the shared screen.

[0035] Referring to Figure 3, an operational flowchart is shown illustrating a method 300 for delivering content in a virtual meeting session according to at least one embodiment. In step 302, embedded graphics in the presentation may be extracted and stored in a database, for example, a content database 122. In one embodiment, this step may be performed on a presenter computing device 202 while a presentation for an upcoming virtual meeting is being created. The presentation may be checked for the presence of several types of embedded graphics, which may consist of web links, i.e., text data in the form of an address or URL that can be clicked to move a user to an address or URL, or graphic objects, such as statistical charts, tables or graphs. In addition to the actual graphics, relevant information about the graphics, such as the type of graphic, may also be collected and stored as metadata along with the graphics in the database. For example, if a web link is found in the presentation, the text of the link may be extracted and an appropriate destination, such as "link", may be added to another database field associated with the web link, i.e., metadata. When stored in the database, this metadata may enable the database to be searched, sorted by a specific destination, or a combination of both.

[0036] In one embodiment, the embedded graphics may be classified according to type using a machine learning classification model. One or more of the following machine learning algorithms may be used to classify the events: logistic regression, naive Bayes, support vector machines, artificial neural networks, and random forests. In one embodiment, ensemble learning techniques may be used to ensure better predictions compared to the predictions of a single machine learning algorithm, by using multiple machine learning algorithms together. Each type used in the classification result may be equivalent to a graphical representation that may be useful to the participants. Examples of types may include web links, e.g., text defining an address or URL that can be followed to find useful information; statistical charts, e.g., graphs or tables of data that participants may consider relevant or useful to the discussion in a virtual meeting; or, in some cases, images or videos. The result of the type determination may be stored along with the embedded graphics as associated metadata.

[0037] In a further embodiment, it may be determined whether the embedded graphics contain sensitive information. Examples of sensitive information may include any personal information that may not be relevant to the discussion in the virtual meeting, or confidential company information in the context of a virtual meeting with some or all participants who are not employees of the company. In this embodiment, only information classified as non-sensitive is extracted and, therefore, may also be stored, transmitted to participants, or a combination of these.

[0038] The decision of whether information is sensitive, i.e., filtering embedded graphics from extraction, can be set by the owner of sensitive information (presenter or participant in a virtual meeting) or using training data fed into a machine learning classification model. The ability to mark information as sensitive or non-sensitive for the machine learning classifier can be configured for each embedded graphic. Initially, the extraction, and therefore storage or transmission, or combination thereof, of all embedded graphics may be disabled. This default setting means that the owner of potentially sensitive information must consent to any information being extracted, stored, or transmitted over the network.

[0039] The information owner can check embedded graphics by inspecting the presentation being created or the stored embedded graphics through an appropriate user interface (UI), and can see which information may be extracted, stored, or transmitted to others, and therefore which information may be classified as sensitive information. The information owner can also authorize the extraction, storage, or transmission of certain information, or manually mark such information according to its confidentiality. Only information that the information owner authorizes to be extracted and stored or transmitted through these filter settings may be extracted. Any sensitive information will continue to be classified as such and will be blocked from extraction, storage, or transmission.

[0040] It should be noted that the information owner is free to make these decisions at any time and can change what they have selected as sensitive information as the confidentiality of the information may change over time. These settings are permanently maintained to keep machine learning classifiers up-to-date and also allow the information owner to have full control over informed consent for using sensitive information in content distribution.

[0041] In step 304, any embedded graphics that may be available in the database, along with any available metadata, may be sent to participants in the virtual meeting. It should be noted that the transmission of embedded graphics and associated metadata can be achieved at any time once the graphics are stored. The presentation does not need to be fully completed before participants can send embedded graphics from it, nor does the transmission of embedded graphics need to occur simultaneously after the establishment of the virtual meeting session. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the presentation may be created before the virtual meeting, and the presentation may be checked for embedded graphics, and the generation module 120 may collect several embedded graphics of various types and gather the files and associated metadata in the database. Then, automatically, participants in the virtual meeting session may be identified using the virtual meeting contact details, and the contents of the database may be sent to the identified participants. However, the method does not have to be in this order. For example, a participant may unexpectedly want to give a presentation in the virtual meeting. Once they share a presentation, the images on the shared screen may be scanned for the appropriate type of embedded graphics, and these graphics, along with metadata, may be stored in a database, such as a content database 122, to identify and classify the embedded graphics. The content may then be sent to all participants in the virtual meeting; however, those skilled in the art will recognize that in this embodiment, the storage step may be unnecessary, and the embedded graphics and metadata may be sent immediately to all participants. In another embodiment, the embedded graphics and metadata may be sent to participants upon connection to the virtual meeting session, which may be more efficient than being limited to a pre-configured list of identified participants, and may also ensure that the most up-to-date information is sent to participants.

[0042] In step 306, the embedded graphics extracted in step 302 and transmitted in step 304 may be displayed to the virtual meeting participants in the form of a virtual meeting dashboard, which can be customized by the participants and integrated into the participants' view of the presentation. For example, if the virtual meeting session is hosted in a virtual meeting application, the virtual meeting dashboard may appear in the virtual meeting application window in which the meeting is hosted, although this is not required. The virtual meeting dashboard may be displayed in a separate window which may be created for the purpose of the virtual meeting dashboard, as determined by the display module 124.

[0043] In one embodiment, each participant may configure a virtual meeting dashboard on their participant device to display a “cumulative view” so that all embedded graphics that can be extracted from the entire presentation are available to the participant and can be included in the virtual dashboard. Since the embedded graphics in the virtual meeting dashboard are not limited to the page currently shown to the participant through the virtual meeting application 206, i.e., the current image of the presentation on the participant device's screen, this cumulative view can improve efficiency.

[0044] However, in a further embodiment, the participant may also choose to configure the virtual meeting dashboard to limit its display to only those graphics currently displayed on the participant computing device's screen. In this embodiment, a screen capture of the participant computing device may be taken, where the current content of the screen may be analyzed using an appropriate recognition algorithm, e.g., a text recognition algorithm in the case of web links or object recognition in the case of statistics, to determine which embedded graphics are currently displayed on the participant computing device's screen. The extracted and stored embedded graphics may then be checked to determine whether they are currently present on the presenter computing device's screen. If the embedded graphics are present on the screen, they may be added to the virtual meeting dashboard and displayed to the participant. If the embedded graphics are not present on the participant computing device's screen, they may be excluded from the virtual meeting dashboard.

[0045] In one embodiment, each participant may also individually configure their virtual meeting dashboard to restrict their view by type of embedded graphics. In such a case, a participant-specific account or profile may be maintained and modified with respect to the virtual meeting dashboard to filter the graphics that may be displayed on the participant's dashboard. In this embodiment, a participant may indicate in their account or profile which types of embedded graphics they prefer to see on their virtual meeting dashboard. This preferred type may be compared with the embedded graphics, i.e., the content database 122, and only embedded graphics that include types matching the preferred type may be displayed in the virtual meeting dashboard. For example, a participant may decide that only web links should appear in their virtual meeting dashboard, and no statistical charts, such as tables or graphs. In this case, the content database 122 may be inspected, and only graphics that also include the "link" designation may be displayed on the participant's virtual meeting dashboard. In this case, the content database 122 may be inspected, and only those graphics that also include the destination of the "link" may be displayed on the participant's virtual meeting dashboard.

[0046] The participant is free to decide at any time what information should be included in the virtual meeting dashboard, saves their account or profile to keep it up-to-date, and is free to change what is displayed so that the participant has complete control over their virtual meeting dashboard settings.

[0047] While this disclosure includes a detailed description of cloud computing, it should be understood that the implementation of the teachings enumerated herein is not limited to cloud computing environments. Rather, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in combination with any other type of computing environment that is currently known or may be developed later.

[0048] Cloud computing is a service delivery model that enables convenient on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or interaction with service providers. This cloud model may include at least five features, at least three service models, and at least four deployment models.

[0049] The features are as follows:

[0050] On-demand self-service: Cloud consumers can unilaterally provision computing functions, such as server time and network storage, as needed, without requiring human interaction with the service provider.

[0051] Broad network access: The functionality is available over a network and accessed through standard mechanisms that facilitate use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

[0052] Resource pooling: A provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, and various physical and virtual resources are dynamically allocated and reallocated according to demand. Consumers generally do not have control or knowledge of the exact location of the resources provided, but can identify the location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or data center), making it location-independent.

[0053] Rapid Adaptability: Features can be provisioned quickly and flexibly, and in some cases automatically, scale out quickly, release quickly, and scale in quickly. For consumers, the features available for provisioning are often unlimited and can be purchased at any amount at any time.

[0054] Service Measurement: Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource usage by employing metric functions at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency to both service providers and consumers.

[0055] The service model is as follows:

[0056] Software as a Service (SaaS): This refers to the functionality provided to consumers for using a provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure. These applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface, such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, such as the network, servers, operating system, storage, or even the underlying cloud infrastructure encompassing individual application functions, with the possible exception of limited, user-specific application configuration settings.

[0057] Platform as a Service (PaaS): A feature provided to a consumer for deploying applications they have created or acquired, generated using programming languages ​​and tools supported by the provider, onto a cloud infrastructure. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, such as the network, servers, operating system, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and, in some cases, the application hosting environment configuration.

[0058] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): This is a service provided to a consumer to provision processing, storage, networking, and other basic computing resources, enabling the consumer to deploy and run any software, including operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, but has limited control over the operating system, storage, deployed applications, and, in some cases, network components (e.g., the host's firewall).

[0059] The deployment models are as follows:

[0060] Private Cloud: A cloud infrastructure is operated solely for a specific organization. This cloud infrastructure may be managed by that organization or a third party, and may reside on-premises or off-premises.

[0061] Community Cloud: Cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that shares common interests (e.g., mission, security requirements, policies, and compliance considerations). The cloud infrastructure may be managed by the organization or a third party and may reside on-premises or off-premises.

[0062] Public cloud: Cloud infrastructure is available to the general public or large industry groups and is owned by organizations that sell cloud services.

[0063] Hybrid Cloud: Cloud infrastructure is a hybrid of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain separate entities but are brought together by standardized or proprietary technologies (e.g., cloud bursting for load balancing between clouds) that enable data and application migration.

[0064] Cloud computing environments are oriented services that focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability. The heart of cloud computing is the infrastructure, which includes a network of interconnected nodes.

[0065] Referring here to Figure 4, an exemplary cloud computing environment 50 is illustrated. As shown, the cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or more cloud computing nodes 10, and local computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) or mobile phones 54A, desktop computers 54B, laptop computers 54C, or automotive computer systems 54N, or combinations thereof, can communicate with the cloud computing nodes 10. The nodes 10 can communicate with each other. The nodes 10 can be physically or virtually grouped into one or more networks, such as private clouds, community clouds, public clouds, or hybrid clouds, or combinations thereof, as described herein (not shown). This allows the cloud computing environment 50 to provide infrastructure, platforms, or software, or combinations thereof, as a service that does not require cloud consumers to maintain resources on their local computing devices. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in Figure 4 are intended to be illustrative only, and that the computing node 10 and the cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type of computerized device via any type of network or network addressable connection or a combination thereof (for example, using a web browser).

[0066] Referring now to Figure 5, a set of functional abstraction layers provided by the cloud computing environment 50 (Figure 4) is shown. It should be understood that the components, layers, and functions shown in Figure 5 are intended to be illustrative only, and that embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. The following layers and corresponding functions are provided as illustrated:

[0067] The hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and software components. Examples of hardware components include a mainframe 61, RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture-based servers 62, 63, and blade servers 64, as well as storage devices 65 and network and networking components 66. In some embodiments, the software components include network application server software 67 and database software 68.

[0068] The virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which the following examples of virtual entities are provided: namely, a virtual server 71, virtual storage 72, a virtual network 73, such as a virtual private network 73, a virtual application and operating system 74, and a virtual client 75.

[0069] In one example, the management layer 80 may provide the following functions: Resource provisioning 81 provides the dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources used to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and pricing 82 provides cost tracking when resources are used within the cloud computing environment and billing or invoicing for the consumption of these resources. In one example, these resources may include application software licenses. Security provides identification and verification for cloud consumers and tasks, and protection for data and other resources. The user portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment for consumers and system administrators. Service level management 84 provides the allocation and management of cloud computing resources to ensure that the required service levels are met. Service level agreement (SLA) planning and execution 85 provides the pre-placement and procurement of cloud computing resources for which future requirements are anticipated in accordance with the SLA.

[0070] The workload layer 90 provides examples of functions that may be available in a cloud computing environment. Examples of workloads and functions that may be provided from this layer include mapping and navigation 91, software development and lifecycle management 92, virtual classroom education delivery 93, data analytics processing 94, transaction processing 95, and virtual reality content 96 that predictively selects to adapt to the bandwidth conditions that will be available later. The distribution of virtual content may include extracting any type of embedded graphics, displaying said embedded graphics in a virtual meeting dashboard, and sending said embedded graphics to participants in the virtual meeting.

[0071] The present invention may, at an integrated level of technical detail, be a system, a method, a computer program or a computer program product or a combination thereof. The computer program product may encompass one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-readable program instructions for causing a processor to execute aspects of the present invention.

[0072] The computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible device capable of holding and storing instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer-readable storage medium may be, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium includes: portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), memory sticks, floppy disks, mechanically encoded devices such as punch cards or grooved structures on which instructions are recorded, or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, a computer-readable storage medium should not be interpreted as a transient signal itself, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through optical fiber cables), or electrical signals transmitted via wires.

[0073] The computer-readable program instructions described herein may be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to individual computing devices / processing devices, or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a wireless network, or a combination thereof. The network may consist of copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, or edge servers, or a combination thereof. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing device / processing device receives computer-readable program instructions from the network and transmits them for storage in a computer-readable storage medium within the individual computing device / processing device.

[0074] The computer-readable program instructions for performing the operation of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, configuration data for integrated circuits, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, such as object-oriented programming languages, object-oriented programming languages ​​(e.g., Smalltalk, C++, etc.), or conventional procedural programming languages ​​(e.g., the "C" programming language or similar programming languages). The computer-readable program instructions may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer via any type of network, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, via the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuits, such as programmable logic circuits, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or programmable logic arrays (PLAs), may execute computer-readable program instructions by personalizing the electronic circuit by utilizing state information of computer-readable program instructions in order to carry out the aspects of the present invention.

[0075] The aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowcharts or block diagrams or combinations thereof of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer programs or computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It will be understood that each block in the flowchart or block diagram or combination thereof, and combinations of multiple blocks in the flowchart or block diagram or combination thereof, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0076] These computer-readable program instructions can be provided to a computer processor or other programmable data processing device to generate means for implementing functions / operations specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart or block diagram or combination thereof, thereby creating a machine. These computer-readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can instruct a computer-programmable data processing device or other device or combination thereof to function in a particular manner, such that the stored instructions include a product containing instructions that implement the functional / operational aspects specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart or block diagram or combination thereof.

[0077] The computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto the computer, other programmable data processing device, or other device such that instructions executed on the computer, other programmable data processing device, or other device implement the functions / operations specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart or block diagram or combination thereof, thereby causing a series of operational steps on the computer, other programmable device, or other device to generate a computer-implemented process.

[0078] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer programs or computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or part thereof of instructions, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing one or more specified logical functions. In some alternative implementations, the functions shown in the blocks may occur in a different order than that shown in the drawings. For example, two consecutively shown blocks may actually be achieved as a single step executed simultaneously, substantially simultaneously, partially or entirely in a temporally overlapping manner, depending on the functions involved, or the blocks may be executed in reverse order. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram or flowchart or a combination thereof, and a combination of multiple blocks in the block diagram or flowchart or a combination thereof, may be implemented by a special-purpose hardware-based system that performs the specified functions or operations, or by a combination of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0079] The descriptions of various embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments. Similarly, examples of features or functions of the embodiments of the disclosure described herein, whether used in a particular embodiment description or described as examples, are not intended to limit the embodiments of the disclosure described herein or to limit the disclosure to the examples described herein. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein have been selected to describe the principles of the embodiments, their practical application to or improvement over technologies seen in the market, or to enable those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for distributing content in a virtual meeting session, In a presenter computing device, multiple embedded graphics are extracted from a presentation, wherein the multiple embedded graphics are selected from a group consisting of web links, images, and video data. Transmitting the aforementioned multiple embedded graphics to the participant's computing device, and Display a virtual meeting dashboard, wherein the virtual meeting dashboard includes the plurality of embedded graphics Includes, The virtual meeting dashboard is generated by either or both the virtual meeting application and the presentation application on the participant computing device. The aforementioned method.

2. Extracting the aforementioned multiple embedded graphics from the presentation is To determine whether each of the aforementioned multiple embedded graphics contains sensitive information, and Extracting one embedded graphic in response to the fact that one of the multiple embedded graphics does not contain the sensitive information. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. For each of the multiple embedded graphics included in the presentation, determine the type of embedded graphic, and The determined type is stored as metadata associated with the embedded graphic. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. Determining the type of the embedded graphic involves using a machine learning model to classify the embedded graphic according to the determined type. A computer-implemented method according to claim 3, further comprising:

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the plurality of embedded graphics to a participant computing device occurs when the participant computing device connects to the virtual meeting session.

6. Displaying the aforementioned virtual meeting dashboard Receiving preferred types of embedded graphics from participants, The preferred type is compared with the type of embedded graphics for each of the plurality of embedded graphics. Display the embedded graphic in the virtual meeting dashboard in accordance with the preferred type matching the type of the embedded graphic. A computer-implemented method according to claim 3, further comprising:

7. Displaying the aforementioned virtual meeting dashboard To acquire a screen image of the participant's computing device, To determine whether the screen image includes the plurality of embedded graphics, In response to the screen image including the plurality of embedded graphics, the plurality of embedded graphics are displayed in the virtual meeting dashboard. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising:

8. A computer system for distributing content in a virtual meeting session, The computer system comprises one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage media, and program instructions stored in at least one of the one or more tangible storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, and the computer system is Extracting multiple embedded graphics from a presentation, wherein the multiple embedded graphics are selected from a group consisting of web links, images, and video data. Transmitting the aforementioned multiple embedded graphics to the participant's computing device, and Display a virtual meeting dashboard, wherein the virtual meeting dashboard includes the plurality of embedded graphics A method including can be performed. Execute, The virtual meeting dashboard is generated by either or both the virtual meeting application and the presentation application on the participant computing device. The aforementioned computer system.

9. Extracting the aforementioned multiple embedded graphics from the presentation is To determine whether each of the aforementioned multiple embedded graphics contains sensitive information, and Extracting one embedded graphic in response to the fact that one of the multiple embedded graphics does not contain the sensitive information. The computer system according to claim 8, further comprising:

10. For each of the multiple embedded graphics included in the presentation, determine the type of embedded graphic, and The determined type is stored as metadata associated with the embedded graphic. The computer system according to claim 8, further comprising:

11. Determining the type of the embedded graphic involves using a machine learning model to classify the embedded graphic according to the determined type. The computer system according to claim 10, further comprising:

12. The computer system according to claim 8, wherein the transmission of the plurality of embedded graphics to a participant computing device occurs when the participant computing device connects to the virtual meeting session.

13. Displaying the aforementioned virtual meeting dashboard Receiving preferred types of embedded graphics from participants, The preferred type is compared with the type of embedded graphics for each of the plurality of embedded graphics. Display the embedded graphic in the virtual meeting dashboard in accordance with the preferred type matching the type of the embedded graphic. The computer system according to claim 10, further comprising:

14. Displaying the aforementioned virtual meeting dashboard To acquire a screen image of the participant's computing device, To determine whether the screen image includes the plurality of embedded graphics, In response to the screen image including the plurality of embedded graphics, the plurality of embedded graphics are displayed in the virtual meeting dashboard. The computer system according to claim 8, further comprising:

15. A computer program for distributing content in a virtual meeting session, Extracting multiple embedded graphics from a presentation, wherein the multiple embedded graphics are selected from a group consisting of web links, images, and video data. Transmitting the aforementioned multiple embedded graphics to the participant's computing device, and Displaying a virtual meeting dashboard, wherein the virtual meeting dashboard includes the plurality of embedded graphics. Make the processor execute it, The virtual meeting dashboard is generated by either or both the virtual meeting application and the presentation application on the participant computing device. The aforementioned computer program.

16. Extracting the aforementioned multiple embedded graphics from the presentation is To determine whether each of the aforementioned multiple embedded graphics contains sensitive information, and Extracting one embedded graphic in response to the fact that one of the multiple embedded graphics does not contain the sensitive information. The computer program according to claim 15, further comprising:

17. For each of the multiple embedded graphics included in the presentation, determine the type of embedded graphic, and The determined type is stored as metadata associated with the embedded graphic. The computer program according to claim 15, which causes the processor to further execute the following.

18. Determining the type of the embedded graphic involves using a machine learning model to classify the embedded graphic according to the determined type. The computer program according to claim 17, which causes the processor to further execute the following.

19. Displaying the aforementioned virtual meeting dashboard Receiving the preferred type of embedded graphics from the participants, To compare the preferred type with the type of each of the plurality of embedded graphics, Display the embedded graphic in the virtual meeting dashboard in accordance with the preferred type matching the type of the embedded graphic. The computer program according to claim 17, further comprising:

20. Displaying the aforementioned virtual meeting dashboard To acquire a screen image of the participant's computing device, To determine whether the screen image includes the plurality of embedded graphics, In response to the screen image including the plurality of embedded graphics, the plurality of embedded graphics are displayed in the virtual meeting dashboard. The computer program according to claim 15, which causes the processor to further execute the following.

Images