Selective Screen Sharing via Viewport Bounding Box

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current screen sharing technologies during web conferencing sessions do not allow users to selectively share only a specific area within the viewport, excluding the navigation section, which can lead to visual distractions and the unintentional sharing of sensitive information.

Innovation Solution

A system that enables selective screen sharing by defining a bounding box within the viewport to distinguish between shareable and non-shareable areas, allowing users to control what is presented and allowing more privileged users to access specific content while restricting access to others.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the entire viewport is screenshared during a web conferencing session, then all content is visible to participants, but visual distractions and sensitive information exposure increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation securityVSAvoidvisual distractions

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The viewport is divided into multiple regions: a shareable region (second area) that can be screenshared and a non-shareable region (first area) containing navigation elements and sensitive content. This segmentation allows selective sharing of only the necessary content area while excluding distractions and sensitive information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The navigation section and other non-essential elements are extracted from the screenshared area and placed in a separate non-shareable region. This extraction removes potential visual distractions and sensitive information from the screenshare view while maintaining their functionality in the full viewport.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Adaptability or versatility

If a bounding box is introduced to define shareable area, then selective screensharing is enabled, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveselective screensharing capabilityVSAvoidsystem structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The solution adds a spatial dimension to screensharing by introducing a bounding box that defines a specific region within the viewport. This dimensional approach allows selective sharing based on spatial coordinates rather than requiring complex content analysis or multiple configuration options.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Reliability

If user profiles with different privileges are implemented, then access control is improved, but authentication and permission management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess controlVSAvoidpermission management

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Different user profiles are assigned different levels of access to different regions of the screenshared content. Presenters can access and control the entire viewport including non-shareable regions, while participants only have access to the shareable region. This local quality approach applies different permission levels to different spatial regions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11689695B1Computing technologies for screensharing

Publication Date: 2023.06.27 NORTHERN TRUST CORP

AI summary

This disclosure enables various technologies for screensharing to minimize visual distractions, maximize professionalism, or avoid sharing sensitive, confidential, classified, or private information.