iChat AV White Boarding?

[MacRumors]

Macsimumnews reports on recent European patent applications that were revealed this week. The new patent describes “Method and apparatus for establishing communication between two teleconferencing endpoints."

The patent essentially describes real-time conference between participants along with "data sharing wherein various types of data such as documents, spreadsheets, graphic data, or other types of data, can be shared and manipulated by all participants in the teleconference."

[maximumbarkly]

This has been done before, it's a novelty morre than anything. Useful if you have a touchpad, not as much mouse.

[waveman216]

Oh yes! PLEASE make it easier for my clients to drive me absolutely insane!!

[Doctor Q]

It says that Apple has been working on this teleconferencing technology (think iChat AV plus sharing of documents, spreadsheets, and graphics) since 1995!

[rikers_mailbox]

integrated iLife/iChat document sharing?

[portent]

Originally Posted by Doctor Q

It says that Apple has been working on this teleconferencing technology (think iChat AV plus sharing of documents, spreadsheets, and graphics) since 1995!

Apple had a QuickTime Conferencing product, including a digital video camera and (I think) a special expansion card, for video conferencing on a Mac around 1995. There wasn't much demand, and the product was very immature, so it disappeared after one release.

You can find some info (and pictures of the hardware) if you search hard enough.

[avensis087]

it's apple's ability to take something ordinary and do it extraordinarily well. even though this has been in the works for quite some time, i bet it'll be very well integrated with iLife '07...looking forward to it

mr

[Phobophobia]

Introducing Filecasting!

iWeb lets you easily put any file onto the internet, and let other people download it--with one click.

[nagromme]

I can't think of many mission-critical heavy-duty day-in/day-out commercial uses for it... but I can think of LOTS of small personal uses for it, ranging from fun to useful.

[jrober]

Here in the company I work for virtual whiteboards are essential for long distance discussions on processes especially IT development. I see this as Apple making their Apps as corporate friendly to encourage more to shift from Windoze.

[Windowlicker]

Anyone remember this application based on Hotline Client? The one where you could have people and paint together?

PaintBook reinvented?

[capacity]

NetScrawl? I wish there was something like it around today...

[Stella]

Another stupid patent. How has this NOT been done before?!!

[rjphoto]

I'm forced to use MS Netmeeting on PCs everyday because there isn't a Mac equivilant to "show" slideshows for distance learning. At the same time I'm using a VTel video conference system with multiple cameras running Windows 98.

I would much rather use a couple of Macs for the same process.

[Stella]

Originally Posted by rjphoto

I'm forced to use MS Netmeeting on PCs everyday because there isn't a Mac equivilant to "show" slideshows for distance learning. At the same time I'm using a VTel video conference system with multiple cameras running Windows 98.

I would much rather use a couple of Macs for the same process.

Yeah, but Apple can implement it without creating a pointless patent ( this is prior art ).

[dashiel]

Originally Posted by maximumbarkly

This has been done before, it's a novelty morre than anything. Useful if you have a touchpad, not as much mouse.

it's interesting that people assume just because something is a novelty to them that it's a novelty to everyone. i teleconference all the time and a competent whiteboard application would be a huge benefit to me.

Originally Posted by nagromme

I can't think of many mission-critical heavy-duty day-in/day-out commercial uses for it... but I can think of LOTS of small personal uses for it, ranging from fun to useful.

design studios, photographers, animators, distance learning, there are plenty of uses for this technology beyond personal. mission critical maybe not, but still very important to some businesses.

[nbs2]

Originally Posted by Stella

Yeah, but Apple can implement it without creating a pointless patent ( this is prior art ).

Yeah, but fling for a patent, and getting it means that you can quash patent violation lawsuits before they are even dreamed up. Sure, the various iPod suits don't have legs, but fighting a suit costs money. If less money goes to counsel and suits...

[sccaldwell]

Originally Posted by jrober

I see this as Apple making their Apps as corporate friendly to encourage more to shift from Windoze.

Exactly. If Apple bundles in something to allow VTC (iChat already does), but WITH document sharing, then it's just another reason to consider the Mac for business.

The company where I've been (a Fortune 100) since last October uses VTC pretty regularly, including document sharing, on a Windows XP platform, and I don't think I've been in a conference yet where someone didn't have to drop off and re-join, or otherwise "screw around" with the doc-sharing software to get it to refresh or fix some other problem. Same goes for using VTC software...most of it's unreliable and cumbersome, at best...AND ALL THIS STUFF IS EXPENSIVE ADD-ONS for Windows.

If you got it all for free with a Mac (incorporated into the OS, so it'll work seamlessly with ANY app, vs. being an add-on), that's yet another reason to consider switching.

[sccaldwell]

Originally Posted by Stella

Another stupid patent. How has this NOT been done before?!!

Answer: Well.

[kuyu]

lotus sametime does this. its pretty handy.

[Super Dave]

Originally Posted by Doctor Q

It says that Apple has been working on this teleconferencing technology (think iChat AV plus sharing of documents, spreadsheets, and graphics) since 1995!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this was supposed to be integrated into Copland (as well as the Quicktime thing the other guy mentioned).

David

[confirmed]

Apple could add a lot to whiteboarding, with their Core technologies. CoreImage for handling sharing and working with images in close to real time. No more sending updated images back and forth, instead, just send the CoreImage instructions on how the original image changed. CoreData for handling text/spreadsheet/database work. add SVG, which is currently being added to Safari, for handling vector work, even overlaying them on top of images. all these technologies would be very quick for working over a relatively slow internet connection. i've never seen a white board which worked well without constraining it to a high speed LAN, apple could do it.

[MattInOz]

Yep, we would use something like this on a daily basis if it there was one that worked well. We're an Architecture Office so we deal in allot of visual information, as such i can't think of any group of people i deal with where this wouldn't be handy. Clients, Engineers, Builders, Council Officers, Product Reps and tech people.

Apple seem to have the parts to make it work, and very well if that Screen/Camera thingy is any more than a Patent at this stage.

Sure it's seems like a weak patent from a prior art stand point, but then again maybe having a rejected Patent is as valuable in these days of submarine patents.

Oh just had a cool idea... so I'm off to file a patent.

[bobdgil]

From reading the patent, it doesn't sound like just a whiteboard. It sounds more like the ability for multiple users is different locations to edit documents in real time with each other. Instead of one user telling the other what they are doing on a project, they can show them in real time. Or I could be way off base...

[yac_moda]

I was looking at this again on looprumors where they show some new patent info.

And I had not realized this before but THIS is VERY close to an invention that I suggested to APPLE 2 years ago.

I told them they could make earphones for the eyes by making pair of bubble goggles like swimmers use that had an OLED display on the OUTSIDE, to display an appearance that the user wants to make like eyes.

And to put many cameras on the outside so that they could photograph multiple appeture lengths every time they take ONE shot with ALL of the cameras.

Then layer the images together with the infinite focal length for the horizon, this the stitched image would be very similar to human sight.

And show the image on the inside of the googles so the user can switch between computer and the outside, or heads up display.

I just realized that their patent for an LCD that integrates cameras with each pixel could do this