Multi-Participant Video Sharing With Seamless Stream Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conferencing software allows only a single participant to share content at a time, leading to interruptions and disruptions when multiple participants want to share, as transitions require stopping and starting sessions, disrupting the flow of information.
Innovation Solution
Enabling multiple participants to simultaneously share content in a video conference, with seamless switching between primary and secondary presenters, allowing independent viewing of shared content by all participants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If only a single participant shares content at a time, then the system remains simple to manage, but the flow of information is disrupted when multiple participants want to share
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the content sharing functionality by introducing distinct roles (primary presenter and secondary presenter) and separate content streams. Each presenter has their own content stream that is independently managed and transmitted, allowing multiple participants to share simultaneously without interfering with each other's content delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that receives content streams from multiple presenters, manages the primary and secondary presenter designations, and distributes the appropriate content streams to viewing participants. This intermediary coordinates the complex multi-participant sharing without requiring direct peer-to-peer management between presenters
2Loss of time
If multiple participants share content simultaneously, then information flow continues without interruptions, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing the primary and secondary presenter roles and their corresponding content streams before switching is needed. When a presenter switch occurs, the system can immediately activate the pre-configured secondary presenter's content stream without interruption, as all necessary configurations are already in place
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining multiple active content streams simultaneously (primary presenter stream and secondary presenter stream) rather than stopping one to start another. The server continuously receives and processes both streams, enabling seamless switching without breaking the information flow
3Ease of operation
If sequential presenter switching is used, then system management remains simple, but the flow of information is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic role assignment where presenters can be designated as primary or secondary based on current presentation needs, and these roles can be switched dynamically during the conference. The system adapts to changing presentation requirements in real-time while maintaining simple operational controls for designating and switching between presenters
Data Source
AI summary
A selection of a subset of content streams transmitted by presenting devices is received at a viewing device connected to a conference. Each of the content streams is transmitted from a respective presenting device connected to the conference and each presenting device is associated with a respective conference participant. The subset of the content streams is received by the viewing device. At least one of the subset of the content streams is displayed by the viewing device.