Computer Conferencing

1. Field of the Invention

The subject of the invention generally relates to a method of communicating information between a plurality of computer users and more particularly to a method of communicating information between a plurality of computer users concerning an active software application without providing an input to the active software application.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Graphical user interface software applications are well known and include applications such as WINDOWS (Trademark) published by Microsoft Corporation. Computers having resident software applications such as WINDOWS (Trademark) can be networked together to facilitate a free exchange of information between the users of the computers. If two computer users wish to discuss, for example, a particular document in a word processing application or a set of data in a spreadsheet application then any amendments made to the document or spreadsheet by the user results in amendment of the document or spreadsheet. This is disadvantageous as the document or spreadsheet cannot be annotated by one user and the annotations used by another user without amending the document or spreadsheets.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of communicating information between a plurality of computer users to enable a free exchange of information concerning a subject computer application without amending either the software application or a document or the like being displayed by that application.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of communicating information between the plurality of computer users comprising the steps of: establishing a data communications link between the users; providing each user with a common display of a subject software application on a visual display unit, which application is susceptible to data input from at least one of the users via the data communications link; activating an overlay application to generate a transparent display on the visual display unit of at least one user; and positioning the transparent display over at least a part of the common display, the common display remaining visible to the or each user, in which method an input made by the or each user having the transparent display over the common display of the subject application is displayed on the transparent display of the users and is not perceived as an input by the subject application.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a communication network employing a method of communicating information embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operational steps taken in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a transparent window overlaying a window of a subject application.

FIG. 1 shows a local area network 1 comprising a plurality of personal computers 2 in data communication with a main bus loop 3 for carrying data and control information. One or more of the computers 2 has a control program resident in a data storage area. The control program is opened by one of the operators and establishes that originating computer 2 as the control computer 4. When opened, the control program prompts the operator to select a particular subject software application to be discussed by the users of the other computers 2 in the network 1. The subject application on computer 4 is selected and opened by the control program. The control program establishes data communication between all the computers 2, 4 in the network 1 and the control programs of the other computers 2 are also opened. The video output of the subject application is then displayed on the video display unit 5 of each of the computers 2, 4.

Having established data communications between all the computers 2, 4 and displayed the output of the subject application on each of the computers 2, 4, the output of the subject application may now be discussed by the operators of the computers 2, 4. Any one of the operators of the computers 2, 4 can make amendments to the document or spreadsheet displayed by the subject application as if that application was resident in their own computer. The results of the amendments made by any one operator of a computer 2, 4 in the network are shown on the visual display unit 5 of each of the other computers 2, 4. Thus, each of the operators has the ability to amend the particular document or spreadsheet being displayed by the subject application shown by the control computer 4.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention only the control computer 4 actually runs the subject application and the output of the application is channelled to the other computers 2 via the network 1. The output is displayed on each of the visual display units 5 of the computers 2, 4. Inputs from the computers 2 can also be channelled to the control computer 4 via network 1 to amend the output of the subject application displayed by computer 4. Any operator on the network 1 can activate a so-called transparency application which is part of the control program. By activating the transparency application, a portion of the screen of each of the computers 2, 4 is overlaid with a transparent portion which is automatically positioned to cover the output display of the subject application. Alternatively, the transparent portion is manoeuvrable around the screen and is positioned over the output display by a mouse, keyboard or other positioning means. Any amendment subsequently made by any of the operators on the network 1 will be shown on the transparent portion and communicated to each of the other operators on the network. However, the amendments are not transmitted to the subject application and do not alter the output of the subject application, they merely appear on the transparent portion of the screen.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated with reference to a flow chart of a WINDOWS (Trademark) application being run as the subject application. Firstly, the transparency mode within the control program is initiated by one of the operators on the network 1. This decision is communicated to each of the other computers 2, 4 which are thereby placed in the transparency mode. The operator activating the transparency mode need not be the operator starting the subject application, in this case, control computer 4. When the transparency mode has been activated in all of the computers 2, 4, an acknowledgement is sent back to the originating computer from all of the other computers 2 on the network 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, the transparency application then takes a snapshot image of the WINDOWS (Trademark) application which has been selected to be discussed by the operator 4 on the network 1. The snapshot image of the output of subject application 6 is then copied into the transparent portion 7 created by the transparency application. The transparent window 7 is then moved and resized preferably automatically to cover the application window 6 exactly. This provides the user with a transparent window covering the application window to be discussed. A second WINDOWS application 8 is shown in the background which is not active. Amendment of the transparent window 7 is permitted, which amendment is made to the transparent window 7 which contains the snapshot of 6 as opposed to the WINDOWS subject application 6 such that the WINDOWS application does not perceive the amendments being made to the transparent window 7 as an input to the WINDOWS application. The amendments to the transparent window are provided to all of the operators for discussion. The amendments may be made simultaneously by many operators. When the amendments have been discussed by the operators on the network 1, any one of the operators can terminate the transparency application thereby removing the transparent window 7 such that any further amendment is perceived as an input to the subject application.

In one embodiment of the present invention, amendments made upon the transparent window 7 are supplied as an input to the subject application once the transparency application has been terminated to effect the amendments in the subject application.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the subject application is a WINDOWS application and the transparent window can be applied to a single window shown on the visual display unit 5 as opposed to the entire screen of the visual display unit 5.

The network 1 may be an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or an analog phone line network.