Remote support service with two-way smart whiteboard

Abstract

Mobile devices, such as a smartphone, tablet or wearable, are leveraged to facilitate remote support between a user of the device, and a remote technician. In this approach, the mobile device is used as a tool on behalf of the remote technician. In particular, and in one embodiment, the mobile device is used to transfer images to the remote technician's desktop. The remote technician desktop is provisioned with a whiteboard functionality by which the remote technical draws on the camera image that the remote technician is then viewing. The resulting annotation(s) are then transferred back over the network and drawn on the end user's camera view. In this manner, the technician highlights any area of the camera image, and those highlights are visible on the end user mobile device regardless of whether the local end user rotates the view or moves the mobile device camera during the support session. In an alternative embodiment, collaborative support is provided between or among the user and one or more technicians using a two-way, bi-directional smart whiteboard.