Electronic whiteboard

• US 20060012561A1
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kirkland, Dustin C., Rodriguez, Herman, Halcrow, Michael Austin, Hall, Kylene Jo
• Granted Patent: US 7,450,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/235 based on user input or interaction

Abstract

An improved electronic whiteboard is provided. The improved electronic whiteboard includes a plurality of toggle switches along a vertical side for drawing vertical straight lines across the electronic whiteboard and a plurality of toggle switches along a horizontal side for drawing horizontal straight lines across the electronic whiteboard. When some or all the switches along the vertical side are turned on, vertical straight lines are drawn across the electronic whiteboard. Likewise, when some or all the switches along the horizontal side are turned on, horizontal straight lines are drawn across the electronic whiteboard. The intersections of the vertical straight lines with the horizontal straight lines form a plurality of grid cells. The electronic whiteboard contains means for determining the location of these cells.

Claims

1. An improved electronic whiteboard comprising:

means along a vertical side for drawing horizontal lines across the electronic whiteboard;

means along a horizontal side for drawing vertical lines across the electronic whiteboard;

means for determining when a plurality of vertical lines and a plurality of horizontal lines are drawn; and

means for detecting grid cells created by the plurality of the vertically and the horizontally drawn lines.

2. The improved electronic whiteboard of claim 1 wherein information is entered within the grid cells.

3. The improved electronic whiteboard of claim 1 wherein the lines are visible light.

4. The improved electronic whiteboard of claim 3 wherein the visible light is laser light.

5. The improved electronic whiteboard of claim 3 wherein the visible light is LED light.

6. A computer program product on a computer readable medium for improving an electronic whiteboard, the electronic whiteboard including means along a vertical side for drawing horizontal lines and means along a horizontal side for drawing vertical lines across the electronic whiteboard, the computer program product comprising:

code means for determining when a plurality of vertical lines and a plurality of horizontal lines are drawn; and

code means for detecting grid cells created by the vertically and horizontally drawn lines.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein information is entered within the grid cells.

8. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the lines are visible light.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the visible light is laser light.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the visible light is LED light.

11. A method of implementing grid cells across an electronic whiteboard, the electronic whiteboard including means along a vertical side for drawing horizontal lines and means along a horizontal side for drawing vertical lines across the electronic whiteboard, the method comprising:

drawing vertical lines across the electronic whiteboard using the means along the horizontal side;

drawing horizontal straight lines across the electronic whiteboard using the means along the vertical side; and

detecting grid cells created by the vertically and horizontally drawn lines.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein information is entered within the grid cells.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the lines are visible light.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the visible light is laser light.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the visible light is LED light.

16. A system for drawing grid cells across an electronic whiteboard, the electronic whiteboard including means along a vertical side for drawing horizontal lines and means along a horizontal side for drawing vertical lines across the electronic whiteboard, the system comprising:

at least one storage device for storing code data; and

at least one processor for processing the code data to determine when a plurality of vertical lines and a plurality of horizontal lines are drawn across the electronic whiteboard, and to detect grid cells created by the vertically and the horizontally drawn lines.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein information is entered within the grid cells.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the lines are visible light.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the visible light is laser light.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the visible light is LED light.