SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING MEDIA DATA IN A PRESENTATION SYSTEM

• US 20080303794A1
• Filed: 06/07/2007
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Rempel, James, Auger, Paul A., Bolt, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,269,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421

Abstract

A media integration device associated with a touch system including a touch screen, comprises a media control module operative to receive media information from a plurality of devices and generate media data associated with each of the plurality of devices. The media control module selects one device from the plurality of devices for displaying media data associated with the one device on the touch screen. A program module is operatively coupled to the media control device and adapted to generate a graphical user interface including a first display on the touch screen for operationally controlling the selected one device from the touch screen.

Claims

1. A media integration device associated with a touch system including a touch screen, the device comprising:

a media control module operative to receive media information from a plurality of devices and generate media data associated with each of the plurality of devices, the media control module selecting one device from the plurality of devices for displaying media data associated with the selected one device on the touch screen; and

a program module operatively coupled to the media control module and adapted to generate a graphical user interface including a first display on the touch screen for operationally controlling the selected one device from the touch screen.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the program module comprises an annotation program operative to superimpose annotations on the selectively displayed media data associated with the selected one device.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a second display, wherein the second display is generated on the touch screen for selecting one of the plurality of devices as a source of media data for display on the touch screen.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an input interface for receiving and formatting the received media information from the plurality of devices.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the input interface device comprises at least one signal processor device.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one signal processor device comprises an analog-to-digital converter device.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the media information comprises analog or digital video signals.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the media information comprises digital image files.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the media information comprises audio signals.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the digital image files comprise at least one of the group consisting of JPEG files, PDF files, GIF files, TIFF files, BMP files, PNG files, and RAW files.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of devices comprises at least two of a VCR player, a DVD player, an MP3 player, a camera, a camcorder, and an image scanner.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first display comprises at least one activation button

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one activation button comprises a play button, a stop button, a pause button, a fast-forward button, and a rewind button.

14. The device according to claim 12, further comprising:

an output interface adapted to receive control data from the media control module based on a user selecting the at least one activation button using the touch screen; and

a transmitter operatively coupled to the output interface and adapted to transmit the received control data to the one device for operatively controlling the one device.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the output interface comprises an RS232 interface.

16. The device according to claim 14, wherein the transmitter comprises a remote control device.

17. A method of controlling a plurality of devices associated with a touch system using a touch screen, the method comprising:

coupling media information from a plurality of devices to the touch system;

displaying representations of the plurality of coupled devices on the touch screen;

displaying at least one activation button on the touch screen for controlling at least one operation of each of the plurality of devices;

selecting one of the plurality of coupled devices using the touch screen;

applying media data associated with the selected one of the plurality of devices to the touch screen; and

activating the displayed at least one activation button for controlling the least one operation associated with the selected one of the plurality of devices.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

transmitting a signal corresponding to the activated at least one activation button from the touch system to the selected one of the plurality of devices for controlling the at least one operation associated with the selected one of the plurality of devices.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein transmitting the signal comprises transmitting a wireless signal or a physical transmission medium based signal.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein transmitting the wireless signal comprises transmitting an infrared signal or RF signal.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein transmitting the physical transmission medium based signal comprises transmitting data via a cable.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein displaying the at least one activation button comprises displaying at least one of a play button, a stop button, a pause button, a fast-forward button, and a rewind button.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein displaying the plurality of coupled devices comprises displaying at least two of a VCR player, a DVD player, an MP3 player, a camera, a camcorder, and an image scanner.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein applying the media data comprises displaying image data on the touch screen.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein displaying the image data comprises displaying at least one of digital image data and digital video data.

26. The method according to claim 17, wherein applying the media data comprises playing audio signals using the touch screen or an external sound system.

27. An interactive graphical user interface adapted for use within a touch system including a touch screen, the graphical user interface comprising:

a first selectable display region operable to display a plurality of media devices coupled to the touch system, wherein the first selective display region enables a media device to be selected from the displayed plurality of media devices; and

a second selectable display region configurable to display user accessible tools that correspond to the media device selected from the displayed plurality of media devices;

wherein the first and second selectable display regions emanate from a common origin on the touch screen, the first selectable region extending in a first direction and the second selectable region extending in a second direction.

28. The user interface according to claim 27, wherein the first and the second direction are substantially orthogonal with respect to one another.

29. The user interface according to claim 27, wherein the user accessible tools comprise annotation tools for providing annotations over an image generated by the selected media device and displayed on the touch screen.

30. The user interface according to claim 29, wherein the annotation tools comprises at least one of a plurality of:

selectable line drawing buttons each selectable to provide annotations having different line thicknesses; and

a line color button operative to change the color of the annotations generated based on activating one of the selectable line drawing buttons.

31. The user interface according to claim 27, wherein the user accessible tools comprises a device operation tool that using the touch screen is adapted to operate any one of the plurality of media devices selected from the first selectable display region.

32. The user interface according to claim 31, wherein the device operation tool comprises at least one of a play button, a stop button, a pause button, rewind button, and a fast-forward button.

33. The user interface according to claim 27, wherein the user accessible tools comprises an image manipulation tool that using the touch screen is adapted to manipulate an image generated by the selected media device and displayed on the touch screen.

34. The user interface according to claim 33, wherein the image manipulation tool includes at least one of an image clear button, an image freeze button, and an image capture button.

35. The user interface according to claim 33, wherein the image manipulation tool includes at least one of brightness and contrast control, cropping, and histogram functions.

36. The user interface according to claim 27, further comprising a settings tool operative to configure the plurality of media devices coupled to the touch system.

37. The user interface according to claims 36, wherein the configured plurality of media devices coupled to the touch system comprise at least two of a VCR player, a DVD player, an MP3 player, a camera, a camcorder, and an image scanner.

38. A method of controlling a plurality of devices associated with a touch system using a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a first region on the touch screen that includes a selectable plurality of media devices that are coupled to the touch system; and

displaying a second region on the touch screen that includes selectable user accessible tools corresponding to a media device selected from the displayed plurality of media devices;

wherein the first and second regions emanate from a common origin on the touch screen, the first region extending in a first direction and the second region extending in a second direction.

39. The method according to claim 38, further comprising generating an image on the touch screen from the media device.

40. The method according to claim 38, further comprising controlling the media device using the user accessible tools.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein the user accessible tools control the media device using a device operation tool.