METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING AN INTERACTIVE DESIGN CONFERENCE OVER THE INTERNET

A method of conducting an interactive design conference over the Internet, comprises: selectively admitting clients communicating through web browsers over the Internet to an interactive design conference; receiving a graphics file indicative of a design from one of the clients; and transmitting the graphics file to the other clients so as to be viewable as a graphics image through graphics file readers in the client web browsers. The graphics file is generated by a snapshot program previously transmitted to a client initiating the design conference and controlling the design database. Java applets are transmitted to each of the design conference participants to facilitate communicating annotations of the graphics image and messages between clients through their web browsers.