Shared File State Streaming for Interactive Collaboration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collaboration systems fail to allow non-presenting users to interact with shared files or applications seamlessly, lacking functionality for viewing data attributes, history, and other file portions, and often require separate application access, compromising security and consistency.
Innovation Solution
A collaborative streaming system that shares the state of a file rather than a screen view, enabling non-presenting users to interact with data objects within their own application instance, with enhanced security and consistency, using a publication/subscription model to transmit only the latest actions and ephemeral event data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If screen sharing application is used to stream video feed of presenter's display, then collaboration between multiple users is enabled, but non-presenting users cannot directly interact with the application or file through the video feed
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary layer that captures interaction events from the presenter's application and relays them to viewer devices. This mediator translates application-specific interactions into transmittable event data that can be communicated over the network, enabling viewers to interact with the shared application state without direct access to the presenter's instance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of sharing the actual application instance, the system creates a virtual copy of the application state by capturing and transmitting interaction events. Viewer devices receive and execute these events locally, generating a synchronized copy of the application state that mirrors the presenter's view while allowing independent interaction.
2Adaptability or versatility
If file is replicated for concurrent editing by multiple users, then collaboration is enabled, but consistency across multiple instances becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where interaction events generated by any user are captured, transmitted to a central collaboration service, and then distributed to all connected users. This continuous feedback loop ensures that all users receive updates about state changes in real-time, maintaining consistency across all instances without requiring direct synchronization between peer devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaboration service maintains a continuous stream of interaction events, ensuring that the state synchronization process is ongoing and uninterrupted. This continuous transmission of event data keeps all user instances updated in real-time, preventing divergence and maintaining file consistency throughout the collaboration session.
3Ease of operation
If non-presenting users access file via separate application instance, then interaction is possible, but security and consistency are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a universal access mechanism where a single shared file can be accessed and interacted with by multiple users through different device types and applications. The collaboration service acts as a universal intermediary that handles authentication, event routing, and state synchronization, allowing the same file to be safely accessed across diverse platforms without compromising security or consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
Streaming of shared state date from a presenter device to one or more viewer devices may be accomplished by shared state of a file (e.g., state of a presentation and/or the application that is displaying Information from the file and/or data related to the particular shared streaming of the presentation) rather than a screen share view of the application and/or file.