Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Scott H W Snyder

Clea H Allington

Nassr Albahadly

Hannah Rebecca Lewbel

Lindsey Conway

Isabel Sophie Sharp

Minu George

Adam Michael Gleisner

Samantha Robbie Courts

Margaret Arlene Grounds

Olga Veselova

Yu Been Lee

Ronald Di Sandro

Ashwini Purohit

Technologies are disclosed that enable a computing system to present a structured arrangement for tracking content items on a shared user interface (UI) during a communication session. The structured arrangement is a list that is displayed in a specific region of the shared UI. Inclusion of content items in the list makes it easier for users to locate and interact with those content items throughout the communication session. The ability to create and manipulate the list may be limited to only certain users such as a moderator. Use of this list can promote inclusivity and fairness. For instance, inclusion in the list may prevent content items from being forgotten or ignored. Additionally, the names of users who contributed the content items may be shown in the list thereby providing recognition for those users.

Structured arrangements for tracking content items on a shared user interface

Technologies are disclosed for a computing system that allows users to control the disclosure of their identities during communication sessions. Users can control the disclosure of their identities with respect to certain types of shared content. In one mode of operation, a user can share content anonymously. In another mode of operation, identity may be revealed when certain conditions are met or revealed to only certain other users. For example, the identity of a user who shared a comment anonymously may be revealed if multiple other users agree with that comment. In another mode of operation, the user's identity is revealed to all other users such as in a live video stream. The computing system can control display of users' identities based on user instructions or based on triggering conditions. A user interface (UI) can show content items that identify a user together with content items that are shared anonymously.

Controlling disclosure of identities in communication sessions

Technologies are disclosed that enable a computing system to provide a computationally efficient interface for collaborative viewing and/or editing of shared content. Individual users may separately edit (e.g., create, modify, etc.) content in a particular section (e.g., area, region, page, etc.) of a shared data unit such as a file. A result of this separate editing may cause sections of the shared data unit to be off-screen from a perspective of a user and/or a computing device being used by the user. The disclosed techniques provide an effective way for an individual user, of a multi-user sharing session, to request that other users view content being edited by the individual user in a section that is 'off-screen' for the other users. Based on the request, a selectable user interface element can be displayed enabling efficient access to the content to be viewed by the other users.

Calling attention to a section of shared data

Systems and methods for recording and archiving whiteboard sessions associated with an electronic whiteboard. In aspects, archived whiteboard sessions may be assigned to bookmarks along a whiteboard timeline, which may be editable. For instance, one or more ink strokes associate with an archived whiteboard session may be edited, i.e., added, deleted and/or altered in any way. Moreover, a bookmark corresponding to an archived whiteboard session may be renamed and/or relocated along the whiteboard timeline. In this way, whiteboard sessions may be updated or augmented for future use, may be organized in any suitable order along the whiteboard timeline (e.g., regardless of chronology), and may be named according to descriptive titles or topics (e.g., as opposed to automated date-stamping based on receipt date). In this way, an editable timeline associated with an electronic whiteboard may provide an organized library of readily-presentable content.

Editable whiteboard timeline

Embodiments include notes application features including notes page preview and other features, but the embodiments are not so limited. In an embodiment, a computer-based method can be configured to generate a notes page preview based on a source notes page, wherein the notes page preview includes one or more of a title, a thumbnail, and/or a snippet generated from the source notes page. A handheld device of an embodiment includes a notes application interface configured in part to display and dynamically update one or more notes page previews, wherein each notes page preview includes a plurality of preview display areas including a title display area, a thumbnail display area, and/or a snippet display area. Other embodiments are included.

Previews of electronic notes

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Scott H W Snyder