Graphical Presence Indicator for Shared Media Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current media sharing technologies lack a graphical indicator to convey information about connected users and display resource load to users near a shared display, making it difficult for them to determine who is connected, how many users are connected, and what actions are being performed on the display.
Innovation Solution
A graphical presence indicator system that combines user presence, identity, and action information on a shared display by generating metadata from client devices, which is then decoded and displayed as an augmented composite video stream, showing user connections, identities, and actions through animations and icons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple users connect to a shared display simultaneously, then media sharing capability is improved, but information visibility about user presence and display status deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized display host as an intermediary that aggregates presence information from multiple client devices and presents it through a unified graphical indicator. This mediator collects data about connected users, their actions, and display resource load, then synthesizes this information into a single visual representation that is easily observable near the shared display, resolving the information visibility problem while maintaining multi-user connectivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring user presence, actions, and display resource load, then dynamically updating the graphical indicator to reflect current system state. This real-time feedback loop ensures that observers near the display can always see accurate information about who is connected, what actions are being performed, and the current resource load, maintaining information visibility as connectivity scales
2Loss of information
If user presence information is displayed on each user's personal device, then individual awareness is improved, but centralized information aggregation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges individual presence information from multiple client devices into a single centralized graphical indicator displayed near the shared display. Instead of each device maintaining separate presence indicators, the system combines all user presence, identity, and action information into one unified visual representation, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining individual awareness for all users
3Loss of information
If detailed user action information is displayed, then collaboration awareness is improved, but display clutter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the most essential user action information needed for collaboration awareness and displays it in the graphical indicator. Rather than showing all possible details about user actions, the system selectively extracts and presents key information such as current actions being performed and user identity, maintaining collaboration awareness while minimizing display space consumption through targeted information extraction
Data Source
AI summary
A method for graphically indicating presence, identity, and action with respect to a media post transmitted by a client device and displayed on a shared display. Metadata indicating the identity of a user is logically associated with visual media to form a media stream, which is transmitted to the shared display. The transmitted media stream is then decoded to recover the transmitted metadata. The media post is displayed on the shared display and the presence of a client device media stream, the identity of the current user of the device generating the stream, and an action associated with the user interaction with the client device, is then graphically indicated on the display, using the recovered metadata.