# US 2014/0152665 A1 · Multi-media collaborator

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- Number: US 2014/0152665 A1
- Document ID: US20140152665A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/689,774
- Filed: 2012-11-30
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30
- Assignees: Sap SE
- Applicants: Sap AG
- Inventors: Hai Yun LU; Marek Konrad KOWALKIEWICZ
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140152665A1

## CPC

- G06T 11/26: Drawing of charts or graphs
- G06Q 10/101: Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

Described herein is a technology for facilitating multi-media collaboration. In some implementations, a digital image with hand drawings is provided at a local location of a collaboration. A graph is formed from the digital image. Connected components (CCs) in the graph are identified. Text CCs in the graph is classified. The text CCs from the graph is segmented. Objects and data of the text CCs are propagated to participants of the collaboration at other remote locations.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer implemented method for multi-media collaboration comprising:
providing, at a local location of a collaboration, a digital image with hand drawings;
forming a graph from the digital image;
identifying connected components (CCs) in the graph;
classifying text CCs in the graph;
segmenting the text CCs from the graph; and
propagating objects and data of the text CCs to participants of the collaboration at other remote locations.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computer implemented method of claim 1 comprising:
preprocessing the digital image to produce a binary image; and
forming a graph from the binary image.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The computer implemented method of claim 2 wherein forming a graph comprises:
performing line thinning on the binary image to form a skeleton; and
performing line tracing on the skeleton.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The computer implemented method of claim 3 wherein performing line thinning comprises:
examining pixels of the binary image;
determining one or more pixels to remove from the binary image;
removing pixels determined to be removed; and
repeating examining, determining and removing pixels until no pixels are determined to be removed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The computer implemented method of claim 4 wherein the line thinning comprises Hilditch thinning technique.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The computer implemented method of claim 4 wherein performing line tracing comprises:
finding key points in the skeleton to form a set of vertices;
determining key points with unvisited neighbors;
selecting one key point from the key points with unvisited neighbors;
tracing from the selected key point with unvisited neighbors to next unvisited neighbors; and
determining if the trace is a straight line or not,
if straight, repeat trace to next unvisited neighbors,
if not straight, add traced straight line to set of edges and update set of vertices, and
then restart trace to next unvisited neighbors.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The computer implemented method of claim 6 wherein the line tracing comprises relaxed chord property technique.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The computer implemented method of claim 6 wherein performing line tracing identifies CC components.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the CC classification comprises computing geometric properties of connected components of the graph to derive text classification scores for the CCs.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The computer implemented method of claim 9 wherein the geometric properties comprise vertices, bounding box, centroid, edge length, edge density, and graph density or a combination thereof.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The computer implemented method of claim 10 wherein the text classification scores indicate whether a CC is text or not.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The computer implemented method of claim 1 comprising:
determining segmented text CCs that are different from a current work surface model; and
propagating objects and data of the different text CCs to participants of the collaboration at other remote locations.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the digital image is of a physical work surface at the local location and remote locations which comprises physical work surfaces, virtual work surfaces or a combination thereof.

### Claim 14

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program code, the program code executable by a computer to perform:
capturing a digital image with hand drawings at a local location;
forming a graph from the digital image;
identifying connected components (CCs) in the graph;
classifying text CCs in the graph; and
segmenting the text CCs from the graph.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the program code executable by the computer to further perform propagating objects and data of the segmented text CCs to participants of the collaboration at other remote locations.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the program code executable by the computer to further perform:
determining segmented text CCs that are different from a current work surface model; and
propagating objects and data of the different text CCs to participants of the collaboration at other remote locations.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein classifying text CCs comprises computing geometric properties of CCs of the graph to derive text classification scores for the CCs.

### Claim 18

A multi-media collaboration system comprising:
a non-transitory memory device for storing computer-readable program code; and
a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor being operative with the computer-readable program code to perform:
capturing a digital image with hand drawings by a digital camera in communication with the processor,
forming a graph from the digital image,
identifying connected components (CCs) in the graph,
classifying text CCs in the graph, and
segmenting the text CCs from the graph.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The multi-media collaboration system of claim 18 wherein the processor being operative with the computer-readable program code to further perform propagating objects and data of the segmented text CCs to participants of the collaboration at other remote locations.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The multi-media collaboration system of claim 18 wherein the processor being operative with the computer-readable program code to further perform:
determining segmented text CCs that are different from a current work surface model; and
propagating objects and data of the different text CCs to participants of the collaboration at other remote locations.