Online Meeting Screen Control Through Leader-Follower View Sync
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current online meeting solutions fail to provide a way for one user to direct the views of all other participants, leading to remote participants being forced to see a predefined view and difficulty in focusing on relevant content, especially when multiple content items are accessible.
Innovation Solution
A system that designates a first user as a leader, allowing them to control the display format and content on other participant devices, ensuring all participants view the same content and windows through a 'follow-me' communication mode, with the leader's interface being mirrored on follower devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If screen share feature is provided to allow one participant to share a window or application, then all users can view a common single screen, but there is no way for one user to direct the views of all other participants in an online meeting
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a copy of the leader client device's user interface display and distributes it to all follower client devices. This allows the leader's view to be replicated across all participant devices, enabling centralized view control without requiring complex coordination or additional hardware. The copied interface includes all windows, content streams, and layout arrangements, ensuring all participants see exactly what the leader sees.
2Ease of operation
If users are able to request control such that a pointer can be controlled by the non-sharing user, then interaction with shared content is enabled, but the non-sharing user cannot direct the views of all other participants
Solution Approach 1:
The leader client device's user interface serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the source of shared content and the template for all participant displays. The same interface that the leader uses to interact with content is distributed to followers, providing both interaction capability and view direction control in a single mechanism rather than requiring separate pointer control and view control features.
3Device complexity
If remote participants are forced to see a predefined view, then system control is maintained, but participants have difficulty focusing on relevant content when multiple content items are accessible
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts the follower client device displays to match the leader's current view configuration. As the leader moves between different content items, adjusts window arrangements, or changes the display format, these changes are automatically propagated to all follower devices in real-time. This dynamic synchronization allows participants to focus on relevant content without manual configuration or loss of system control.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method of controlling a display of a client device connected to an online communication session is provided and includes receiving, at a communication server from a client device, display control information assets that identify a display format and content streams being displayed on the client device operating in a first communication mode, distributing, by the communication server, the provided control information to at least one other client device determined to be operating in the first communication mode, and using, by the at least one other client device operating in the first communication mode, the distributed control information to obtain content streams and cause a user interface on the at least one other client device to have a same format and same content as the client device.