Dynamic Screen Tile Merging for Virtual Meeting Visibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing virtual meeting platforms struggle to effectively display multiple participants in a group setting, leading to confusion and inefficient collaboration due to the challenge of detecting who is speaking or reacting at any given moment.

Innovation Solution

The method involves receiving video streams from client devices, determining if an image combining condition is satisfied, and generating screen tiles that combine or separate participant images based on distance and visibility thresholds, ensuring clear representation of all participants in the virtual meeting interface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If multiple participant images are displayed in separate tiles, then each participant is clearly visible, but the user interface becomes cluttered and difficult to navigate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparticipant visibilityVSAvoiduser interface complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple participant images into a single screen tile when they are spatially close in the video feed. This merging approach reduces the number of separate tiles displayed, simplifying the user interface while maintaining participant visibility through intelligent grouping based on proximity detection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the display into dynamic tiles that are created or merged based on real-time analysis of participant positions. This segmentation allows the interface to adapt its complexity level, creating separate tiles only when participants are far apart and combining them when they are close, thus optimizing both visibility and interface simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Device complexity

If screen tiles are dynamically merged based on image proximity, then the user interface becomes simpler, but participant identification becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser interface simplicityVSAvoidparticipant identification clarity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by enhancing specific regions within merged tiles. When multiple participant images are combined, the system identifies and highlights the active speaker or dominant participant within the merged tile, ensuring that important information remains distinguishable even when multiple participants are grouped together

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses color changes to differentiate participants within merged screen tiles. By applying distinct visual markers or color coding to different participants in the same tile, the system maintains participant identification clarity while benefiting from the simplified interface structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If the system processes and analyzes video streams in real-time, then dynamic tile generation is achieved, but computational resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedynamic tile generationVSAvoidcomputational resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements partial action by processing only key aspects of the video stream rather than analyzing every frame in full detail. The system focuses on detecting participant positions and movements that trigger tile merging or splitting, reducing computational overhead while maintaining the adaptability of dynamic tile generation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses periodic action by updating screen tile configurations at optimized intervals rather than continuously. The system monitors video streams and processes tile generation events only when significant changes occur, such as participants entering or leaving proximity thresholds, thereby reducing computational resource consumption while maintaining dynamic adaptability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS20250126228A1Generating and rendering screen tiles tailored to depict virtual meeting participants in a group setting

Publication Date: 2025.04.17 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

A first video stream comprising a first image of a first participant of a virtual meeting, a second image of a second participant, and a third image of a third participant are received from a first client device connected to a virtual meeting platform. It is determined whether an image combining condition is satisfied. Responsive to determining that the image combining condition is satisfied with respect to the first image and the second image, a first screen tile comprising the first image and the second image is generated. A first size of the first screen tile is defined based on a number of images comprised by the first screen tile. A second screen tile comprising the third image is generated. A virtual meeting user interface comprising the first screen tile and the second screen tile is provided for presentation on a second client device connected to the virtual meeting platform.