Personal Control Apparatus And Method For Sharing Information In A Collaborative Workspace

• US 20100302454A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brett Kincaid, Hyun Yoo, Larry Cheng, Lewis Epstein, Lukas Scherrer, Suzanne Stage
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Development Corporation (Steelcase Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stage, Suzanne, Epstein, Lewis, Scherrer, Lukas, Cheng, Larry, Kincaid, Brett, Yoo, Hyun
• Granted Patent: US 8,896,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/705
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 13/08 Table tops; Rims therefor not restricted to table tops A47B95/04
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2021/066 with power or communication connection interface
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2083/003 Table combination having a central power access component
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2083/006 having an incorporated display screen
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/00 Tables or desks for office equipment, e.g. typewriters, keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/06 characterised by means for holding, fastening or concealing cables
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 37/00 Tables adapted for other particular purposes glass cutting tables C03B33/03
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 83/001 Office desks or work-stations combined with other pieces of furniture, e.g. work space management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/268 Signal distribution or switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/64 Constructional details of receivers, e.g. cabinets or dust covers furniture aspects of television cabinets A47B81/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/66 Transforming electric information into light information scanning details H04N3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/104 Switchers or splitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A method and apparatus for selecting information from a video source to be displayed on at least a first common display screen in a collaborative workspace having a switching device, the method comprising the steps of providing a selectable control interface that includes at least one indicator that can indicate at least first and second different states, associating a video source with the switching device so that video information from the video source is presented to the switching device, when the video source is associated with the switching device, causing the at least one indicator to indicate a first state and when the selectable control interface is selected, causing the at least one indicator to indicate the second state and providing the video information from the video source to the common display screen via the switching device.

Claims

1. A method of selecting information from a video source to be displayed on at least a first common display screen in a collaborative workspace having a switching device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a selectable control interface that includes at least one indicator that can indicate at least first and second different states;

associating a video source with the switching device so that video information from the video source is presented to the switching device;

when the video source is associated with the switching device, causing the at least one indicator to indicate a first state; and

when the selectable control interface is selected, causing the at least one indicator to indicate the second state and providing the video information from the video source to the common display screen via the switching device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a selectable control interface includes providing a mechanical interface that includes at least one selectable button.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the mechanical interface includes a first cable linkable to the video source and a second cable which links to the switching device and wherein the step of associating a video source with the switching device includes linking the first cable to the video source.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the indicator includes at least a first illumination device wherein the steps of causing the at least one indicator to indicate the first and second states includes causing the illumination device to light up first and second different colors, respectively.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the control interface forms a substantially flat upper surface and wherein the at least a first illumination device transmits light around a periphery of the flat upper surface.

6. The method of claim 1 further including the step of, while the video information from the video source is provided to the shared display screen via the switching device, when the selectable control interface is selected a second time, causing the at least one indicator to indicate the first state and blocking the video information from the video source to the shared display screen via the switching device.

7. The method of claim 1 for use with a system that includes a plurality of common display screens wherein the selectable control interface includes a separate selectable control for each of the plurality of display screens and wherein the at least one indicator includes a separate illumination device for each of the separate selectable controls, the step of causing the at least one indicator to indicate the first state including causing each illumination device associated with a common display screen to generate light of a first color indicating the first state and wherein, when any one of the control interfaces is selected, the method further includes the steps of:

causing the illumination device associated with the selected control to indicate the second state; and

providing the video information from the video source to the common display screen associated with the selected control.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of providing a second selectable control interface that includes at least one indicator that can indicate at least first and second different states;

associating a second video source with the switching device so that video information from the second video source is presented to the switching device;

when the second video source is associated with the switching device, causing the at least one indicator on the second control interface to indicate the first state; and

when the second selectable control interface is selected, causing the at least one indicator on the second control interface to indicate the second state and providing the video information from the second video source to the common display screen via the switching device irrespective of which source was providing video information to the common display screen prior to selection of the second selectable control interface device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the video source is a computer including a display screen and wherein the control interface appears on the computer display screen for selection.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein communication between the computer and the switching device is wireless.

11. A method of selecting information from a video source to be displayed on a subset of M common display screens in a collaborative workspace having a switching device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a control interface that includes N selectable controls wherein N is at least as great as M and wherein each control is associated with a separate indicator and each indicator may assume at least first and second visually distinguishable states;

associating a video source with the switching device so that video information from the video source is presented to the switching device; and

when the video source is associated with the switching device, causing a separate indicator for each of the M common display screens to assume the second visual state while the other N-M indicators remain in the first visual state.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein each control includes a separate illumination device which may be illuminated to indicate at least one of the first and second states.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein each control indicates the second state by exciting an associated illumination device and indicates the first state by cutting off power to the illumination device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the indicators may assume a third visually distinguishable state, the method further including the steps of, when any of the selectable controls is selected, causing the indicator associated with the selected control to indicate the third state and providing the video information from the video source to the common display screen via the switching device.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the control interface is provided via a representation on a computer display screen.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of providing a control interface includes providing a mechanical interface that includes a cable and wherein the step of associating a video source with the switching device includes linking the video source to the mechanical interface via a cable.

17. An apparatus for selecting information from a video source to be displayed on at least a first common display screen in a collaborative workspace having a switching device, the apparatus comprising:

a control interface that includes at least a first indicator that can visually indicate at least first, second and third visually distinguished states wherein the control interface indicates the first state when a video source is disassociated with the switching device, the second state when the video source is associated with the switching device and video information from the video source is not presented via the common display and the third state when the video source is associated with the switching device and video information from the video source is presented via the common display.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least a first indicator includes an illumination device and wherein the first state is indicated by cutting power to the illumination device, the second state is indicated via illumination of a first color and the second state is indicated via illumination of a second color.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the control interface includes at least a first selectable control which, when selected, causes the video information from the video source to be presented via the common display and causes the indicator to change from the first state to the second state.

20. An apparatus for selecting information from a video source to be displayed on a subset of M common display screens in a collaborative workspace having a switching device, the apparatus comprising:

a control interface that includes N selectable controls wherein N is at least as great as M and wherein each control is associated with a separate indicator and each indicator may assume at least first and second visually distinguishable states, wherein, when a video source is not associated with the switching device, each indicator indicates the first state and, when a video source is associated with the switching device, a separate indicator for each of the M common display screens assumes the second state while the other N-M indicators remain in the first state.