IP Library Granted Patent US 10,768,885
Granted Patent B1
US 10,768,885 · App. 16/392,383 · Granted Sep 8, 2020

Video conference with shared whiteboard and recording

Inventor: Ethan Fieldman (Gainesville, FL)
Assignee: STUDY SOCIAL INC.
G06F3/1454G06F9/452G06T11/203H04L12/1822H04L67/146H04N7/155G09B5/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,768,885
App. No.
16/392,383
Granted
Sep 8, 2020
Kind
B1
Abstract

One or more users log in to a video conference with a shared, online electronic whiteboard and draw upon a shared whiteboard. Each user has a video and audio stream that are sent to a recording server. Data describing each drawing action upon the shared whiteboard is sent to a database server and each action is then distributed to all users to update their whiteboards. Screenshots of the drawing actions are created by emulating a browser and inputting data describing each action from the database. Alternatively, screenshots are taken by each user computer (after each action or periodically) and sent to the recording server. Audiovisual manipulation software is used to create a whiteboard video from the screenshots are then combined with the audio and video streams to create a resulting video of the entire session. A video clip is created simply by sending begin and end timestamps during the session.

Claims (65)

1. A method of creating a video of an electronic whiteboard, said method comprising:

executing code to emulate a computer browser on a computer;

loading a representation of an electronic whiteboard into said emulated browser on said computer;

loading a plurality of data sets from a database into said emulated browser in sequence and rendering a corresponding drawing action from each of said data sets on said electronic whiteboard, each of said data sets not being an image, a screenshot or a video of a drawing action;

after each of said data sets is loaded, said computer taking a screenshot of said electronic whiteboard and storing said screenshot, wherein each of said data sets includes a timestamp of when said corresponding drawing action was stored in said database, each of said stored screenshots also including the timestamp corresponding to the data set used to create said screenshot; and

importing said stored screenshots into audiovisual software in sequence and exporting a whiteboard video based upon said stored screenshots.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

storing said data sets into said database as received from a plurality of computing devices, each of said computing devices displaying the same shared whiteboard.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said representation of said electronic whiteboard includes a video box region arranged to include a video or image of at least one user.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

importing an audio file of a user recorded on a computing device that produced said data sets into said audiovisual software; and

combining said audio file with said whiteboard video to create a resulting video of a whiteboard session such that audio of said audio file is synchronized with said drawing actions of said whiteboard video and exporting said resulting video.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising:

importing a video file of a user recorded on said computing device into said audiovisual software; and

combining said video file with said resulting video such that images of said video file are synchronized with said drawing actions of said whiteboard video and exporting a new resulting video.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

loading a begin timestamp from said database that originated from a computing device that produced said data sets into said audiovisual software;

loading an end timestamp from said database that originated from said computing device into said audiovisual software; and

clipping said whiteboard video using said begin and end timestamps to create a whiteboard video clip.

7. A method of creating a video of an electronic whiteboard, said method comprising:

displaying an electronic whiteboard in a first browser of a first computing device;

receiving a plurality of drawing actions from a user of said first computing device and rendering said drawing actions in sequence on said electronic whiteboard;

after an end of each of said drawing actions, detecting said end of said each drawing action, and when said end is detected, said first browser taking a screenshot of said electronic whiteboard, wherein said end of said each drawing action acts as a signal to instruct said first browser to take said screenshot;

sending said screenshots taken with said first browser from said first computing device to a recording computer over a network connection, wherein said screenshots are discrete images and are not part of a video stream, and storing said screenshots taken with said first browser into a screenshot database; and

importing said stored screenshots from said screenshot database into audiovisual software in sequence, creating a whiteboard video from said stored screenshots on said recording computer and exporting said whiteboard video.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

storing along with each of said stored screenshots a timestamp corresponding to the end of each of said drawing actions, wherein said creating a whiteboard video is based upon said timestamps and uses a preselected frame rate of said whiteboard video.

9. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

displaying said electronic whiteboard in a second browser of a second computing device, said electronic whiteboard being shared between said first and second computing devices;

receiving a plurality of drawing actions from a user of said second computing device and rendering said drawing actions received from said user of said second computing device in sequence on said electronic whiteboard on said second computing device; and

after an end of each of said drawing actions, said second browser of said second computing device taking a screenshot of said electronic whiteboard and storing said screenshot taken with said second browser into said screenshot database.

10. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said electronic whiteboard includes a video box region that includes a video or image of at least one user.

11. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

importing an audio file of a user recorded on said first computing device during said drawing actions into said audiovisual software; and

combining said audio file with said whiteboard video to create a resulting video of a session on said electronic whiteboard such that audio of said audio file is synchronized with said drawing actions of said whiteboard video and exporting said resulting video.

12. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

importing an audio file and a video file of a user recorded on said first computing device during said drawing actions into said audiovisual software; and

combining said audio file and said video file with said whiteboard video to create a resulting video of a session on said electronic whiteboard such that audio of said audio file and images of said video file are synchronized with said drawing actions of said whiteboard video and exporting a resulting video.

13. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

receiving a first selection on said electronic whiteboard from said user indicating a begin timestamp and sending said begin timestamp to said screenshot database;

receiving a second selection on said electronic whiteboard from said user indicating an end timestamp and sending said end timestamp to said screenshot database; and

importing said begin and end timestamps into said audiovisual software and clipping said whiteboard video using said begin and end timestamps to create a whiteboard video clip.

14. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein each of said screenshots is only taken after said end of said each drawing action.

15. A method of creating a video of an electronic whiteboard, said method comprising:

displaying an electronic whiteboard in a first browser of a first computing device;

receiving a plurality of drawing actions from a user of said first computing device and rendering said drawing actions in sequence on said electronic whiteboard;

said first browser periodically taking a screenshot of said electronic whiteboard at a first defined interval, wherein said first defined interval is a fixed amount of time;

sending said screenshots taken with said first browser from said first computing device to a recording computer over a network connection, wherein said screenshots are discrete images and are not part of a video stream, and storing said screenshots taken with said first browser into a screenshot database;

storing along with each of said stored screenshots a timestamp corresponding to the time when said screenshot was taken; and

importing said stored screenshots from said screenshot database into audiovisual software in sequence, creating a whiteboard video from said stored screenshots on said recording computer and exporting said whiteboard video, wherein said creating a whiteboard video is based upon said timestamps and a preselected frame rate of said whiteboard video.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

displaying said electronic whiteboard in a second browser of a second computing device, said electronic whiteboard being shared between said first and second computing devices;

receiving a plurality of drawing actions from a user of said second computing device and rendering said drawing actions received from said user of said second computing device in sequence on said electronic whiteboard on said second computing device; and

said second browser of said second computing device periodically taking a screenshot of said electronic whiteboard at a second defined interval and storing said screenshot taken with said second browser into said screenshot database.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein said first and second defined intervals are the same.

18. A method as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

importing an audio file of a user recorded on said first computing device during said drawing actions into said audiovisual software; and

combining said audio file with said whiteboard video to create a resulting video of a session on said electronic whiteboard such that audio of said audio file is synchronized with said drawing actions of said whiteboard video and exporting said resulting video.

19. A method as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

importing an audio file and a video file of a user recorded on said first computing device during said drawing actions into said audiovisual software; and

combining said audio file and said video file with said whiteboard video to create a resulting video of a session on said electronic whiteboard such that audio of said audio file and images of said video file are synchronized with said drawing actions of said whiteboard video and exporting a resulting video.

20. A method as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

receiving a first selection on said electronic whiteboard from said user indicating a begin timestamp and sending said begin timestamp to said screenshot database;

receiving a second selection on said electronic whiteboard from said user indicating an end timestamp and sending said end timestamp to said screenshot database; and

importing said begin and end timestamps into said audiovisual software and clipping said whiteboard video using said begin and end timestamps to create a whiteboard video clip.

Assignments (10)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 4, 2025
From: KENMORE LITTERA INVESTOR, LLC
To: LITTERA EDUCATION INC.
Reel/Frame 071926/0606 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2025
From: KENMORE INVESTOR, LLC
To: LITTERA EDUCATION INC.
Reel/Frame 071401/0065 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2025
From: LITTERA EDUCATION INC.
To: KENMORE LITTERA INVESTOR, LLC
Reel/Frame 071402/0094 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 5, 2024
From: LITTERA EDUCATION INC.
To: KENMORE INVESTOR, LLC
Reel/Frame 066031/0962 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 28, 2022
From: STUDY EDGE, INC.
To: LITTERA EDUCATION INC.
Reel/Frame 061247/0985 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 28, 2022
From: BARINGS FINANCE LLC
To: STUDY EDGE, INC.
Reel/Frame 061248/0013 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE RECEIVING PARTY'S NAME FROM STUDY SOCIAL, INC. TO STUDYSOCIAL, INC. PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 049808 FRAME 0334. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Aug 31, 2022
From: FIELDMAN, ETHAN
To: STUDYSOCIAL, INC.
Reel/Frame 061361/0108 →
MERGER Recorded Aug 31, 2022
From: SUNSHINE MERGER SUB, INC.; STUDYSOCIAL, INC.
To: STUDY EDGE, INC.
Reel/Frame 060957/0035 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 23, 2021
From: STUDY EDGE, INC. (F/K/A STUDY SOCIAL, INC.)
To: BARINGS FINANCE LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 058200/0782 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 19, 2019
From: FIELDMAN, ETHAN
To: STUDY SOCIAL INC.
Reel/Frame 049808/0334 →
Cited By (6)
US 12,309,590 US 12,517,694 US 12,586,040 US 12,587,614 US 12,641,105 US 12,689,534