Persistent Shared Space for Real-Time Collaboration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication methods lack a persistent and interactive platform for real-time collaboration and emotional expressiveness, especially for remote users, as they are often limited by intrusive nature, lack of fidelity, and temporary information sessions.
Innovation Solution
A shared space application that provides a persistent, interactive environment where users can communicate through various tools such as imagery, text, audio, and digital ink, allowing multiple users to interact and collaborate simultaneously, with features like live connections and private scrapbooking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If instant messaging or email is used for communication, then users can communicate asynchronously without real-time pressure, but the communication becomes impersonal and lacks emotional expressiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple communication modalities (text messaging, image sharing, video conferencing, and virtual whiteboarding) into a single integrated platform. This allows users to switch between or combine different communication styles within the same interaction thread, thereby maintaining both the convenience of asynchronous communication and the emotional expressiveness of richer media formats.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication platform is designed to perform multiple functions: it can send instant messages, share photos and videos, conduct video calls, and provide collaborative whiteboarding. This multi-functional design eliminates the need to switch between different applications, preserving communication convenience while enhancing emotional expressiveness through diverse interaction modes.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If phone or instant messaging is used for real-time communication, then emotional expressiveness is improved, but the communication becomes intrusive and requires immediate response
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic communication modes where users can adjust their availability and response expectations. The system allows transitions between synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (delayed response) modes, enabling users to engage in emotionally expressive communication when convenient while avoiding intrusive real-time demands when unavailable.
Solution Approach 2:
Users have control over their own communication experience by setting availability status, choosing which communication modes to enable, and determining response timing. This self-service capability allows individuals to maintain emotional connectiveness without being forced into intrusive real-time interactions.
3Ease of operation
If whiteboard is used for real-time collaboration, then interactive communication is improved, but remote users cannot effectively read and focus on relevant portions due to video teleconferencing limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual whiteboard is divided into multiple regions or zones that can be independently controlled. Remote users can focus on specific segments relevant to their needs while maintaining awareness of the overall context. This segmentation allows selective viewing and interaction, solving the problem of information overload and poor visibility in traditional video conferencing whiteboards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional video display constraints to a multi-dimensional virtual space where users can navigate, zoom, and interact with whiteboard content. This dimensional expansion allows remote participants to access and focus on relevant portions of the whiteboard without being constrained by video frame limitations, thereby improving information visibility while maintaining interactivity.
4Ease of operation
If session-based communication is used, then real-time interaction is achieved, but information is lost when the session ends
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements persistent communication threads and shared spaces that continue to exist beyond individual sessions. Information exchanged during real-time interactions is automatically archived and remains accessible for future reference. This continuity ensures that valuable information is not lost when sessions end, while preserving the benefits of real-time interaction during active periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically captures and stores communication data during real-time sessions before they conclude. By performing the information preservation action preliminarily (during the session rather than requiring manual saving), the system ensures information persistence without interrupting the real-time interaction flow.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provide a shared space for communicating information. In an embodiment a number of users associated with a computing environment can use a shared space to communicate information with one another. Each computing device of the computing environment can include a shared space application. The shared space application includes a number of interactive tools that can be used to persist various communications between associated computing devices of a computing environment.