System and method for electronic presentations

• US 20020186236A1
• Filed: 05/24/2002
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Learning Box LLC
• Original Assignee: The Learning Box LLC
• Inventors: Brown, Christopher Robert, Smith, Sean Dare, Adams, William H., Laine, Leslie E., Ackerman, Stuart M., Moriarty, John Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,134,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/730
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/08 providing for individual presentation of information to a plurality of student stations
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video

Abstract

An electronic presentation system and method provides multiple display screens for presentation materials as well as permits dynamic annotations to presentation materials that do not permanently alter the presentation materials. The presentation materials can easily be directed to any one of the display screens and any annotations can be saved for future use or simply deleted.

Claims

1. A system providing electronic presentations comprising:

a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by a programmable computer;

a first display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a first video input signal;

a second display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a second video input signal;

a third display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a third video input signal;

a presentation control application stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer; and

the programmable computer being configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by which each of the plurality of slides is dispatched for display to either one of the first or second display screens.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of slides are arranged in a presentation file.

3. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of presentation files stored in the first memory; and

wherein the presentation control application is further configured to;

display a list of the plurality of presentation files via the interface, and

select one presentation file based on input received via the interface.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the presentation control interface is configured to present a list of presentation slides within the one presentation file via the interface and select a slide to dispatch based on input received via the interface.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a video switch having a plurality of inputs coupled with said programmable computer and a plurality of outputs coupled with said first and second display screens, said video switch configurable to selectably couple any of its inputs to any of its outputs.

6. The system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a demonstration computer providing demonstration video output coupled with a particular one input of the video switch wherein the presentation control application is configured to direct the demonstration video output to either of the first or second display screens.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the programmable computer comprises a first, second and third video output corresponding to the first second and third display screens, respectively.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the presentation control application controls the dispatch of each slide to either the first or second display screen by directing the slide to the first or second video output, respectively.

9. The system according to claim 2, further comprising a preference data associated with the presentation file, said preference data stored in the first memory and including one or more entries, each entry associated with a slide of the presentation file;

and

wherein said presentation control application is configured to automatically dispatch a particular slide to either the first or second display screen based on an entry in the preference data corresponding to that particular slide.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the preference data comprises a preference file separate from the presentation file.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the preference data is included in the presentation file.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein after dispatching the particular slide, the presentation control application retrieves a next slide in the presentation file.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the interface includes a preview window for displaying a next slide for dispatch, wherein the presentation control application is configured to retrieve the next slide for display via the preview window when a previous slide is dispatched to either the first or second display screen.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first display screen comprises a first touch-screen device and a first projector; and

the second display screen comprises a second touch-screen device and a second projector.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the third display screen is a touch-screen device.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a respective slide annotation application associated with each of the first, second and third display screens, said slide annotation applications executing on the programmable computer an interfacing with the presentation control application.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first, second and third display screens are configured to respectively provide tactile feedback information to the associated slide annotation applications and wherein the presentation control application is configured to modify one or more of the first second or third video input signals based on the respective tactile feedback information.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein each slide annotation application is configured to store in the first memory a respective annotation history file based on the respective tactile feedback information.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the presentation control application is configured to retrieve any annotation history file associated with a particular slide dispatched for display and display of that particular slide on any of the first second or third display screens is modified according to the annotation history file without depending on which slide annotation application stored the annotation history file.

20. The system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a list of extrinsic slides not included within the presentation file; and

wherein the presentation control application is further configured to;

display a list of the extrinsic slides via the interface, and

select one extrinsic slide, for display on either the first or second display screens, based on input received via the interface.

21. The system according to claim 9, wherein:

one or more of the entries in the preference data include a memory jogger text; and

wherein said presentation control application is configured to automatically display the memory jogger text within the interface when the particular slide is displayed on the third display screen.

22. A method for providing an electronic presentation of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, comprising the steps of:

providing a presentation control interface on a center display screen;

displaying a slide, from among the plurality of slides, in a preview window within the presentation control interface;

receiving input via the presentation control interface indicating whether to direct the slide to a right display screen or a left display screen;

dispatching the slide for display on the indicated display screen; and

retrieving a next slide for display in the preview window.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

retrieving a first list of presentation files, each said presentation file comprising a respective plurality of slides;

displaying on the center screen the first list via the presentation control interface; and

selecting one of the presentation files, for the electronic presentation, based on input received in response to the display of the first list.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

displaying on the center screen a second list of the respective plurality of slides via the presentation control interface; and

selecting the slide for display in the preview window based on input received in response to displaying the second list.

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

retrieving preference data associated with the one presentation file;

determining if the received input indicates automatic dispatch of the slide; and

referring to an entry in the preference data to determine which display screen to dispatch the slide to.

26. The method according to claim 22, further comprising the step of:

receiving other input via the presentation control interface, wherein the other input indicates one of blanking the left screen, blanking the right screen, unblanking the left screen, unblanking the right screen, backing-up one slide in the preview window, skipping the slide in the preview window.

27. The method according to claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

directing video output from a demonstration computer to either one of the left or right screens in place of a presentation slide.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the step of directing includes the step of selectably controlling a video switch which includes one input coupled with the demonstration computer and respective outputs coupled with the left and right screens.

29. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of dispatching a slide further includes the steps of:

outputting the slide as right-side video data if the slide is directed to the right display screen; and

outputting the slide as left-side video data if the slide is directed to the left display screen.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising the steps of:

providing a right annotation application associated with the right display screen which is a touch screen device;

providing a left annotation application associated with the left display screen which is a touch screen device; and

providing a center annotation application associated with the center display screen which is a touch screen device.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein:

the right annotation application is configured to receive feedback from the right display screen indicating right-side graphic overlay data associated with a particular slide being displayed on the right display screen;

the left annotation application is configured to receive feedback from the left display screen indicating left-side graphic overlay data associated with a particular slide being displayed on the left display screen; and

the center annotation application is configured to receive feedback from the center display screen indicating preview slide graphic overlay data associated with a particular slide being displayed on the center display screen.

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the steps of:

adjusting the right-side video data based on the right-side graphic overlay data, if any; and

adjusting the left-side video data based on the left-side graphic overlay data, if any.

33. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of:

adjusting the preview window display based on the preview slide graphic overlay data, if any.

34. The method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of:

storing any of the right-side graphic overlay data, the preview slide graphic overlay data, or the left-side graphic overlay data.

35. The method according to claim 34, further comprising the steps of:

recalling a particular slide for display;

retrieving any stored graphic overlay data associated with the recalled slide;

displaying the recalled slide along with the retrieved graphic overlay data on the preview screen; and

dispatching the recalled slide and retrieved graphic overlay data to either the left-side or right-side screen independently of whether the graphic overlay data is center, right-side or left-side graphic overlay data.

36. The method according to claim 26, wherein the preference data includes memory jogger text and the step of displaying a slide includes the step of:

displaying on the center screen the memory jogger text.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 37, said instructions being further arranged to cause one or more processors upon execution thereby to perform the steps of:

providing a right annotation application associated with the right display screen which is a touch screen device;

providing a left annotation application associated with the left display screen which is a touch screen device; and

providing a center annotation application associated with the center display screen which is a touch screen device;

wherein;

the right annotation application is configured to receive feedback from the right display screen indicating right-side graphic overlay data;

the left annotation application is configured to receive feedback from the left display screen indicating left-side graphic overlay data; and

the center annotation application is configured to receive feedback from the center display screen indicating preview slide graphic overlay data.

39. The computer readable medium of claim 38, said instructions being further arranged to cause one or more processors upon execution thereof to perform the steps of:

adjusting the right-side video data based on the right-side graphic overlay data, if any;

adjusting the left-side video data based on the left-side graphic overlay data, if any; and

adjusting the preview window display based on the preview slide graphic overlay data, if any.

37. A computer readable medium bearing instructions for providing an electronic presentation of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, said instructions being arranged to cause one or more processors upon execution thereof to perform the steps of. providing a presentation control interface on a center display screen;

displaying a slide, from among the plurality of slides, in a preview window within the presentation control interface;

receiving input via the presentation control interface indicating whether to direct the slide to a right display screen or a left display screen;

dispatching the slide for display on the indicated display screen; and

retrieving a next slide for display in the preview window.