Remote Whiteboard Image Capture and Archiving System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to inexpensively capture, disseminate, and archive content such as text and images from whiteboards during collaborative meetings spanning multiple locations, as specialized whiteboards with electronic connectivity are costly and do not effectively memorialize information after the meeting.
Innovation Solution
A networked system comprising image capture devices, communication devices, and network-based servers that capture, process, and archive images from whiteboards using image capture devices, cellular networks, and cloud-based servers, enabling image processing and storage for later retrieval and display on various devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If specialized electronic whiteboards are used to capture and share whiteboard content, then content capture and dissemination capability is improved, but device cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to capture images of the whiteboard content, creating visual copies that can be stored and transmitted digitally. This allows the content to be preserved and shared without requiring expensive electronic whiteboards, as the camera serves as a simple copying device that bridges the analog whiteboard and digital storage systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a camera and image processing system as an intermediary between the whiteboard and the digital storage/networking infrastructure. This intermediary captures the visual information from the whiteboard and translates it into a format suitable for digital archiving and remote access, eliminating the need for direct electronic connectivity in the whiteboard itself
2Loss of information
If video cameras are used to capture whiteboard content during video conferences, then content visibility is improved, but the solution fails to memorialize content after the meeting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures whiteboard content continuously or at key moments during the meeting using the camera, storing these images in advance for later retrieval. This preliminary capture action ensures that content is preserved at the moment it is created, allowing participants to access it after the meeting without requiring the physical whiteboard to still be present
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of the whiteboard content through camera imaging and stores them in a database or cloud storage. These copies persist indefinitely unlike the temporary physical whiteboard content, enabling long-term retention and post-meeting access to the captured information
3Ease of manufacture
If ordinary whiteboards are used for collaborative meetings, then device cost is reduced, but content cannot be remotely shared or archived
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera and image processing system as an intermediary between the whiteboard and the digital storage/networking infrastructure. This intermediary captures the visual information from the whiteboard and translates it into a format suitable for digital archiving and remote access, eliminating the need for direct electronic connectivity in the whiteboard itself
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the camera to create digital copies of the whiteboard content, which are then stored and made accessible through network infrastructure. This copying approach enables remote access to content from ordinary whiteboards without requiring expensive electronic alternatives
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for sharing image data in a collaborative environment. In a network based server situated in an Internet Protocol (IP) based packet data network, a request may be received for a session ID from an image capture requesting device via a networked connection. The network based server may return a session ID to the image capture requesting device. The network based server may then receive image data indicative of a whiteboard and including marked corners. The image data may further comprise metadata including the session ID. The network based server may then process the received image, the processing including a rasterization process and a vectorization process. The network based server may then create a snapshot comprising the received image data, the rasterized image data, the vectorized image data, and the metadata. The network based server may then receive an access request for a snapshot associated with a session ID from a media consumption requesting device via a networked connection and provide access to the snapshot to the media consumption requesting device.