Collaboration System Viewport Markers for Virtual Workspace Navigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Collaboration systems with large, unbounded virtual workspaces face challenges in efficient navigation, viewing intended graphical objects, and maintaining content organization due to the ability of users to place objects anywhere, leading to difficulties in identifying and accessing associated content across multiple devices and locations.

Innovation Solution

A system that stores and tracks viewports within a collaborative workspace, allowing users to share and access displayable areas as intended by the creator, using network nodes with logic to render markers representing predefined canvases, update client canvases, and manage metadata for access control, zoom levels, and contextual menu items.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users can place graphical objects anywhere in the unbounded workspace, then the workspace flexibility and user freedom are improved, but the difficulty of locating and viewing intended graphical objects increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworkspace flexibilityVSAvoiddifficulty of locating graphical objects

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-organizes graphical objects into named groups or collections before users need to locate them. Users can save specific viewports or regions containing related objects, allowing quick navigation to intended content without manually searching through the entire unbounded workspace.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces intermediate organizational structures such as object groups, collections, or layers that act as mediators between the unbounded workspace and individual graphical objects. These intermediaries provide a structured index that helps users locate intended objects without constraining their placement freedom in the workspace.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Area of stationary object

If the virtual workspace is made unbounded to allow free placement, then the area available for content increases, but the complexity of navigation and traversal increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworkspace areaVSAvoidnavigation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The unbounded workspace is segmented into named groups or collections of graphical objects. Each group represents a logical section or category, allowing users to navigate to specific groups rather than traversing the entire unbounded space manually. This segmentation reduces navigation complexity while preserving the large available area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Stability of the object's composition

If users can add graphical objects in specific orders with intended viewing sequences, then the content organization and intended workflow are improved, but the difficulty of following the intended order without manual panning increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent organizationVSAvoidease of traversal

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system allows users to pre-define named groups or collections that represent intended viewing sequences or logical groupings. When users need to follow the intended order, they can directly navigate to these pre-defined groups rather than manually panning through the workspace, making it easier to follow the intended workflow while maintaining content organization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Adaptability or versatility

If the workspace is shared across multiple users and devices, then the collaboration capability is improved, but the difficulty of ensuring all users view the same intended content increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollaboration capabilityVSAvoidviewport alignment precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-saves specific viewports or named groups that define the intended content and viewing parameters. When users join the collaboration session, they can access these pre-saved viewports to ensure they are viewing the same intended content, achieving precise viewport alignment across multiple users and devices without manual adjustment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20240302943A1Collaboration system including markers identifying multiple canvases in multiple shared virtual workspaces

Publication Date: 2024.09.12 BLUESCAPE BUYER LLC

AI summary

A network node of a collaboration system is provided to establish communication with other network nodes. The network node comprises a display having a physical display space. The network node can store collaboration data and render on the local client screen space a local client canvas having locations in the virtual workspace. The network node includes logic to provide a user interface to display a list of markers representing predefined canvases in both the virtual workspace and another virtual workspace. The predefined canvases defining (i) respective areas in the virtual workspace having a location and (ii) an area in the other virtual workspace having a location. The network node includes logic to respond to an input indicating a selected marker from the list of displayed markers to update the location of the local client canvas to match the location of the predefined canvas represented by the selected marker.