US 12,413,686 B2
Selected follow-along participants for viewport synchronization
Palmer Harold Batt, Seattle, WA (US); Alicia Anne-Kepner Brekke, Richmond, VA (US); Stephen George Newton, San Jose, CA (US); and Jeffrey William Smith, Layton, UT (US)
Assigned to Zoom Communications, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Zoom Communications, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/156,513.
Prior Publication US 2024/0251058 A1, Jul. 25, 2024
Int. Cl. H04N 7/15 (2006.01); H04L 65/401 (2022.01); H04N 7/14 (2006.01)
CPC H04N 7/152 (2013.01) [H04L 65/4015 (2013.01); H04N 7/147 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
receiving, from a device of a second conference participant, a first request designating a first conference participant of a conference as a follow-along participant for the second conference participant of the conference, wherein a whiteboard is enabled for the conference and two or more conference participants are potential follow-along participants available for designation by the second conference participant;
identifying a trigger associated with the first conference participant,
wherein in response to identifying respective contemporaneous triggers associated with at least two conference participants, identifying the trigger comprises:
selecting the first conference participant based on a participant preference-selection rule that identifies which follow-along participant determines a viewport for setting a second viewport;
configuring, based on the trigger and for display at a device of the second conference participant, the second viewport based on a first viewport into the whiteboard, wherein the first viewport is displayed at a device of the first conference participant;
in response to identifying a viewport change associated with another conference participant not designated as a follow-along participant for the second conference participant, omitting configuring the viewport for the second conference participant based on the viewport change; and
receiving, from the second conference participant, a selection of an area of interest within the whiteboard, wherein selecting the first conference participant based on the participant preference-selection rule comprises:
selecting the first conference participant in response to determining that the first viewport has largest area of overlap with the area of interest.