MULTIMEDIA, MULTIUSER SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20130147750A1
• Filed: 02/11/2013
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T1V, Inc.
• Original Assignee: James E. Morris, Jennifer L. Wooten, Michael R. Feldman
• Inventors: FELDMAN, Michael R., MORRIS, James E., WOOTEN, Jennifer L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,522,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/40 for devices for accepting orders, advertisements, or the like

Abstract

A table system includes a touch screen having a touch detection surface and a display, and a computer. The touch screen serves as an input device for the computer and the computer is configured to supply a continuous video signal to the display. The touch detection surface is configured to receive an object thereon without interference with detection, to send a first input to the computer in response to a first touch the computer configured to perform a first action on the touch screen in response thereto and, when a second touch occurs at a different location on the touch screen while the first action is being performed on the touch screen, to send a second input to the computer in response to the second touch, the computer being configured to perform a second action in response thereto, so that first and second actions are performed simultaneously.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A system, comprising:

a touch screen including a touch detection surface and a display, electronics for the touch detection surface and the display being protected from environmental contaminants;

a computer, the touch screen serving as a primary input device for the computer, the computer configured to store a plurality of media files of different file types and to supply a continuous video signal to the display, wherein a plurality of representations of the media files corresponding to the plurality of media files are displayed simultaneously in a first region on the display, each representation occupying a sub-region of the first region of the display;

a secondary screen, the secondary screen being physically separate from the touch screen and located such that the secondary screen can be viewed by users near the touch screen, the secondary screen being in communication with the computer, the secondary screen configured to display a different image than that on the display,

wherein, when a first touch input on a representation of a particular media file selected from the plurality of representations within the first region of the touch screen sends a first input to the computer in response to the first touch input, the computer is configured to display the particular media file on a majority of a region of the secondary screen, and

wherein the touch detection surface is configured to send a second input to the computer in response to a second touch input simultaneous with the first touch input, wherein the second touch is located in a second region on the display, the computer configured to perform a second action within an application on the display in the second region in response to the second touch input.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the communication between the touch screen, computer and the secondary screen is configured so that tapping on the touch screen in particular locations when the touch screen is in a particular state allows the user to select or change a source supplying an image to the secondary screen.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the media displayed on the secondary screen is changed by the computer sending a signal to the secondary screen to change the input on the secondary screen that is displayed on the secondary screen.

18. The system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising at least one other secondary screen in communication with the computer.

22. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the computer is configured to:

display buttons indicating various events on the touch screen, and, in response to selection of a button, to send a selected video signal selected to the secondary screen;

display related data to the event displayed on the secondary screen; and

display a keyboard on the touch screen to serve as an input to the computer.

27. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least two tables each have an associated camera and the camera is configured to send pictures to locations within the computer on each table wirelessly and link the pictures with the associated name or number of each table.

28. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the touch detection surface and the display are greater than 12 inches in diagonal and a ratio of a thickness of the touch detection surface to a diagonal of the display is less than 0.4.

29. The system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the touch screen is integrated into a table, the table including the touch screen having a thickness of less than 12 inches.

30. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first touch is a continuous action and the second touch is a tap performed while the continuous action is being performed, the tap not interrupting the first action.

31. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the computer is configured to divide the display into at least two sub-screens.

32. The system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the display is configured to display a lock feature in each sub-screen that, when enabled by a user, locks a corresponding sub-screen.

33. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein, when the particular media file is displayed on the secondary screen, the representation of the particular media file is no longer displayed on the display.

34. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first touch includes dragging the particular media file in a predetermined direction.

35. The system as claimed in claim 34, wherein the predetermined direction is towards the secondary screen.

14-17. -17. (canceled)

19-21. -21. (canceled)

23-26. -26. (canceled)

36. A system, comprising:

a touch screen including a touch detection surface and a display;

a computer, the touch screen serving as a primary input device for the computer, the computer being configured to store a plurality of media files of different file types, the touch screen being configured to display corresponding representations of the plurality of media files in a first region of the display, each representation occupying a sub-region of the first region of the display; and

a secondary screen located such that the secondary screen can be viewed by users near the touch screen, the secondary screen being in communication with the computer, wherein, when the representation of a corresponding media file is dragged on the touch detection surface in a predetermined direction, the computer is configured to display the particular media file on a majority of a region of the secondary screen.

37. The system as claimed in claim 36, wherein the predetermined direction is towards the secondary screen.

38. The system as claimed in claim 36, wherein the display is configured to display a different image than that on the secondary screen.

39. The system as claimed in claim 38, wherein the representation of the particular media file is a thumbnail.

40. The system as claimed in claim 37, wherein the display is configured to display a lock feature that, when enabled by a user, locks the particular media file being displayed.

41. The system as claimed in claim 37, wherein, when the particular media file is a video clip, the computer is configured to fill the secondary screen with the video clip and to play the video clip on the secondary screen in its entirety.