Laptop Touchpad Mode Switching for Collaborative Whiteboard
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Solution Overview
Problem
Remote collaborative working environments lack effective tools to replicate traditional collaboration methods, such as whiteboards, for graphical idea sharing and project management, as conventional computing devices are not configured to facilitate similar electronic collaboration schemes.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a digitizer, functioning as a multipurpose screen, which can switch between a conventional touchpad mode and an electronic whiteboard mode, allowing users to interact with remotely connected devices for concurrent graphical input and sharing of ideas, using a processor and memory with instructions to manage mode switching and content sharing between hosts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional computing device is used for remote collaboration, then basic communication functions are available, but effective tools to replicate traditional collaboration methods like whiteboards are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The touchpad surface is transformed into a multi-functional device that can operate as both a conventional touchpad for cursor control and an electronic whiteboard for collaborative graphical input. The system detects touch gestures and determines whether to activate touchpad mode or whiteboard mode, allowing the same physical surface to serve multiple collaboration purposes without requiring separate dedicated devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the touchpad is used as an electronic whiteboard for graphical input, then collaborative idea sharing is enabled, but conventional touchpad functionality is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between touchpad mode and whiteboard mode based on detected touch gestures. When no touch is detected or specific gestures are recognized, the touchpad functions as a conventional pointing device. When multi-point touch gestures are detected, the system transitions to whiteboard mode, enabling graphical input while maintaining the ability to switch back to conventional operation.
3Productivity
If local content is shared with collaboration hosts, then real-time collaborative editing is achieved, but network bandwidth and system resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system transmits content data from the local device to collaboration hosts over the network, enabling multiple users to access and edit the same content simultaneously. The published content is received and displayed on the multipurpose display screen, allowing real-time collaborative work while managing network resource consumption through efficient data transmission and rendering.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for electronic collaboration including receiving, by a first digitizer of a first host, a mode switch notification, based on the mode switch notification, changing a mode of the first host to a collaborative mode, sending local content, by the first host, displayed on a multipurpose display screen of the first host to one or more collaboration hosts, receiving, by the first host, published content from the collaboration hosts, displaying the published content and the local content concurrently on the multipurpose display screen of the first host, and updating the multipurpose display screen with updated local content and received published content.