Remote highlighting of objects in a conferencing system by logically anding a highlight bitmap and a foreground bitmap

In a computer conferencing system including a first participant coupled to a second participant via a communication medium, said first participant having a local display and a local input device for controlling a local cursor, said second participant having a remote display, an apparatus for highlighting information on said remote display, said apparatus comprising:

• means for selecting a highlighting tool using said local input device, said highlighting tool being a computer implemented function represented by an icon;
• means for displaying said icon representing said highlighting tool on said local display;
• means for activating said highlighting tool using said local input device;
• and
• means for displaying a highlight image corresponding to said selected highlighting tool on both said local display and said remote display, said means of displaying a highlight image including
• means for generating a highlight bitmap.
• means for generating a foreground image bitmap, and
• means for logically ANDing together said highlight bitmap and said foreground image bitmap.

In a computer conferencing system including a first participant coupled to a second participant via a communication medium, said first participant having a local display and a local input device for controlling a local cursor, said second participant having a remote display, a process for highlighting information on said remote display, said process comprising the steps of:

• selecting a highlighting tool using said local input device, said highlighting tool being a computer implemented function represented by an icon;
• displaying said icon representing said highlighting tool on said local display;
• activating said highlighting tool using said local input device;
• and
• displaying a colored highlight image corresponding to said selected highlighting tool on both said local display and said remote display upon the activation of said highlighting tool, said highlight image being displayed on said remote display in a position corresponding to a position of said local cursor on said local display, said step of displaying a colored highlight image including the steps of
• generating a highlight bitmap,
• generating a foreground image bitmap, and
• logically ANDing together said highlight bitmap and said foreground image bitmap.

In a computer conferencing system including a first participant coupled to a second participant via a communication medium, said first participant having a local display and a local input device for controlling a local cursor, said second participant having a remote display, an apparatus for highlighting information on said remote display, said apparatus comprising:

• means for selecting a highlighting tool using said local input device, said highlighting tool being a computer implemented function represented by an icon;
• means for displaying said icon representing said highlighting tool on said local display;
• means for activating said highlighting tool using said local input device;
• and
• means for displaying a colored highlight image corresponding to said selected highlighting tool on both said local display and said remote display, said means of displaying a colored highlight image including
• means for generating a highlight bitmap,
• means for generating a foreground image bitmap, and
• means for logically ANDing together said highlight bitmap and said foreground image bitmap.