Application-Aware Annotation Binding for Collaborative Sessions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing online collaborative session technologies struggle to accurately display and manage annotations across multiple shared applications, leading to confusion as annotations often persist on incorrect applications, especially when application windows are switched or moved.
Innovation Solution
An online collaborative session application tracks the state of shared applications, including their location and events, to provide 'application-aware' annotations by binding annotation data with application state metadata, ensuring annotations are correctly displayed and updated based on application changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If annotations are displayed on shared application screens during online collaborative sessions, then participants can highlight and discuss specific content, but annotations may persist on incorrect applications when application windows are switched or moved, causing confusion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the annotation system by binding each annotation to a specific application instance through unique identifiers. Annotations are divided into application-specific groups, allowing the system to track and manage annotations for each application independently. This segmentation enables accurate annotation display even when multiple applications are switched between, as each annotation knows which application instance it belongs to.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the online collaborative session application continuously monitors application state changes (window moves, switches, resizes) and uses this feedback to update annotation positions and associations. The system receives feedback about application identifier changes and automatically adjusts annotation display accordingly, ensuring annotations remain attached to the correct application content.
2Measurement precision
If the system tracks application state changes to maintain accurate annotation positioning, then annotations remain correctly associated with their target content, but the system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by binding annotation data to application state metadata in advance, before application switches or moves occur. The system pre-establishes the relationship between annotations and application instances using unique identifiers, so when application state changes happen, the system can quickly resolve the correct annotation position without complex real-time calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating and maintaining copies of application state metadata (including unique identifiers, window positions, and application parameters) that are stored alongside annotation data. These metadata copies enable the system to quickly determine annotation positioning without repeatedly accessing the actual application windows, reducing processing overhead while maintaining precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If annotations are bound to specific application instances using unique identifiers, then annotations automatically update when applications are switched or moved, but the data structure and processing requirements become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by using a standardized unique identifier format that can represent any application instance across different applications and sessions. The annotation binding mechanism is designed to work universally with any application that provides a unique identifier, making the system adaptable to various application types without requiring application-specific customization. This universal approach simplifies the overall architecture despite handling diverse applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically updating annotation associated parameters (such as application identifier, window position coordinates, and application state) when application state changes are detected. Instead of restructuring the entire data model, the system efficiently updates specific parameters within the existing annotation data structure, maintaining adaptability while minimizing complexity increases.
Data Source
AI summary
An online collaborative session application executing on a processing device tracks a state of an application shared by the processing device over an online collaborative session. The online collaborative session application receives data indicative of an annotation made to an instance of the application as part of the online collaborative session. A first location of the annotation relative to the instance of the application is determined from the data indicative of the annotation and the state of the application. Based on the tracking, a change to the state of the application is determined. A second location of the annotation is determined based on the change of the state of the application.