ELECTRONIC BLACKBOARD SYSTEM

• US 20020008692A1
• Filed: 04/27/1999
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: TANAKA, MAKOTO, YANO, TAKASHI, INOUE, TAKAO, FURUTA, TOSHIYUKI, BEPPU, TOMOHIKO, OMURA, KATSUYUKI, KITAGUCHI, TAKASHI, TSUDA, KUNIKAZU
• Granted Patent: US 6,518,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1631 Panel PC, e.g. single housing hosting PC and display panel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An electronic blackboard system (100) comprises a PDP for displaying characters and images; a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the PDP; a printer for outputting image data onto a recording paper; and a computer for providing controls over displays provided by the PDP as well as over printing operations of the printer according to input from the touch input device, and further comprises a frame unit having a board section (601) for holding a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard comprising the PDP and touch input device at a specified height; a printer accommodating section (614) for accommodating the printer therein; and a computer accommodating section (612) for accommodating the computer therein, in which the computer accommodating section (612), printer accommodating section (614), and board section (601) are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from the bottom.

Claims

1. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least:

a display unit for displaying characters and images;

a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the display unit;

a printer for outputting image data onto a recording paper; and

a control unit for providing controls over displays provided by the display unit as well as over printing operations of the printer according to input from the touch input device, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard using the display unit and touch input device;

wherein

said control unit is a personal computer;

said display unit is a plasma display; and

said touch input device is a touch input device based on a ultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system comprising a transmitting unit for transmitting surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflecting the surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in a specified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving the surface electric waves reflected by said reflecting unit for inputting coordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according to an attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting the surface elastic waves with the transmitting unit onto the touch panel surface, reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating on the touch panel surface with the reflecting unit in the direction of the receiving unit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through the touch panel surface with the receiving unit, and also comprises a shielding member for shuttering off electromagnetic waves provided on a surface of the display unit at a position when a signal line is connected so that the position for connection of the signal line for fetching a received signal for a surface elastic wave received by the receiving unit is covered;

said electronic blackboard system further comprising a frame unit having a holding section for holding a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard at a specified height, a printer accommodating section for accommodating the printer therein, and a control unit accommodating section for accommodating the control unit therein, in which the control unit accommodating section, printer accommodating section, and holding section are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from the bottom.

4. An electronic blackboard system according to any of claims 1 to 3;

wherein said shielding member is a copper foil tape.

6. An electronic blackboard system according to claim 1 or claim 5;

wherein said frame unit has a keyboard placement section provided at a position in the upper side of the printer accommodating section and in the lower side of the holding section for placing a keyboard connected to the computer.

7. An electronic blackboard system according to claim 1, claim 5, or claim 6;

wherein said holding section comprises an angle adjusting unit for adjusting an angle of a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard to a horizontal plane on which the frame unit is placed.

8. An electronic blackboard system according to any of claim 1 to claim 7;

wherein said display unit further has a plurality of connecting terminals for connecting various types of information equipment and AV equipment such as a digital camera, a DVD player, and video equipment, and is usable as a large-sized screen monitor by using the connecting terminals.

2. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least:

a display unit for displaying characters and images;

a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the display unit; and

a control unit for providing controls over displays by said display unit according to input from touch input device, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the blackboard with the display unit and touch input device;

wherein

said touch input device is a touch input device comprising a transmitting unit for transmitting surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflecting the surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in a specified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving the surface elastic waves reflected by the reflecting unit for inputting coordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according to an attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting the surface elastic waves with said transmitting unit onto a panel surface of the touch panel surface, reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating through the touch panel surface with said reflecting unit in the direction of the receiving unit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through the touch panel with the receiving unit;

said electronic blackboard system further having a shielding member for shuttering off electromagnetic waves provided on a surface of the display unit at a position where a signal line is connected so that the position for connection of the signal line for fetching a received signal for the surface elastic wave received by the receiving unit is covered.

3. An electronic blackboard system according to claim 2;

wherein said display unit comprises a plasma display.

5. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least:

a display unit for displaying characters and images;

a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the display unit;

a printer for outputting image data onto a recording paper; and

a control unit for providing controls over displays provided by the display unit as well as over printing operations by the printer according to input from the touch input device, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard using the display unit and touch input device;

wherein

said control unit is a personal computer;

said electronic blackboard system further comprising a frame unit having a holding section for holding a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard at a specified height, a printer accommodating section for accommodating the printer therein, and a control unit accommodating section for accommodating the control unit therein, in which the control unit accommodating section, printer accommodating section, and holding section are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from the bottom.

9. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least:

a display unit for displaying characters and images;

a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the display unit; and

a control unit for providing controls over displays provided by the display unit according to input from the touch input device, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard using the display unit and touch input device;

wherein

said touch input device is a touch input device based on a ultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system comprising a transmitting unit for transmitting surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflecting the surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in a specified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving the surface electric waves reflected by said reflecting unit for inputting coordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according to an attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting the surface elastic waves with the transmitting unit onto the touch panel surface, reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating on the touch panel surface with the reflecting unit in the direction of the receiving unit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through the touch panel surface with the receiving unit.

10. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least:

a display unit for displaying characters and images;

a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the display unit;

a printer for outputting image data onto a recording paper; and

a control unit for providing controls over displays provided by the display unit as well as over printing operations of the printer according to input from the touch input device, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard using the display unit and touch input device;

wherein

said touch input device is a touch input device based on a ultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system comprising a transmitting unit for transmitting surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflecting the surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in a specified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving the surface electric waves reflected by said reflecting unit for inputting coordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according to an attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting the surface elastic waves with the transmitting unit onto the touch panel surface, reflecting the surface elastic wave propagating on the touch panel surface with the reflecting unit in the direction of the receiving unit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through the touch panel surface with the receiving unit;

said electronic blackboard system further comprising a frame unit having a holding section for holding a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard at a specified height, a printer accommodating section for accommodating the printer therein, and a control unit accommodating section for accommodating the control unit therein, in which the control unit accommodating section, printer accommodating section, and holding section are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from the bottom.

11. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least:

a display unit for displaying characters and images;

a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the display unit; and

a control unit for providing controls over displays provided by the display unit according to input from the touch input device, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard using the display unit and touch input device;

wherein

said touch input device is a touch input device based on a ultrasonic wave surface elastic wave system comprising a transmitting unit for transmitting surface elastic waves, a reflecting unit for reflecting the surface elastic waves transmitted from the transmitting unit in a specified direction, and a receiving unit for receiving the surface electric waves reflected by said reflecting unit for inputting coordinate of a touch position on the touch panel surface according to an attenuation rate of the surface elastic waves by transmitting the surface elastic waves with the transmitting unit onto the touch panel surface, reflecting the surface elastic waves propagating on the touch panel surface with the reflecting unit in the direction of the receiving unit, and receiving the surface elastic waves propagating through the touch panel surface with the receiving unit, and also comprises a shielding member for shuttering off electromagnetic waves provided on a surface of the display unit at a position when a signal line is connected so that the position for connection of the signal line for fetching a received signal for a surface elastic wave received by the receiving unit is covered.

12. An electronic blackboard system comprising at least:

a display unit for displaying characters and images;

a touch input device with a touch panel surface provided on a front surface of the display unit;

a printer for outputting image data onto a recording paper; and

a control unit for providing controls over displays provided by the display unit as well as over printing operations of the printer according to input from the touch input device, said electronic blackboard system capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard using the display unit and touch input device;

said electronic blackboard system further comprising a frame unit having a holding section for holding a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard at a specified height, a printer accommodating section for accommodating the printer therein, and a control unit accommodating section for accommodating the control unit therein, in which the control unit accommodating section, printer accommodating section, and holding section are arranged in the vertical direction in this order from the bottom.