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

• US 20150042885A1
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Epstein, Lewis, Kincaid, Brett, Yoo, Hyun, Stage, Suzanne, Scherrer, Lukas, Cheng, Larry
• Granted Patent: US 9,462,882 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. An assembly for sharing content from video source devices, the apparatus comprising:

a table assembly having a top member and a table support structure for supporting the top member in a substantially horizontal orientation, the top member forming a top surface and an opening in the top surface;

a display assembly including at least a first display screen generally residing at a height above the height of the top surface of the table top;

a switching device linked to the display assembly for providing content thereto to be presented via the first display screen;

a plurality of control interfaces attached to the table assembly and linked to the switcher device, each control interface including at least a first selectable control;

wherein, a video source device is associated with one of the control interfaces by linking the source device to the control interface;

wherein, when a first source device is linked to a first control interface, selection of the first selectable control on the first control interface causes the switching device to provide video information to replicate the content from the display screen of the first source device on the first display screen; and

wherein, when a second source device is linked to a second control interface, selection of the first selectable control on the second control interface causes the switching device to provide video information to replicate the content from the display screen of the second source device on the first display screen.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the first selectable controls includes an indicator capable of indicating at least first and second states, the first state indicating that no source is linked to a control interface that includes the indicator and the second state indicating that a source is linked to the control interface that includes the indicator.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the indicator is a light device.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein each control interface indicates the second state by illuminating the light device and indicates the first state by turning off the light device.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein each interface also includes a speaker.

6. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the second state indicates that a source is linked to the control interface that includes the indicator but that the source content is not replicated on the first display screen, each indicator also capable of indicating a third state when a source is linked to the control interface that includes the indicator and the source content is replicated on the first display screen.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of control interfaces includes at least four control interfaces.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each control interface is connected to the switching device via a control cable.

9. A method for use with source devices that include display screens and that present content on the display screens, the method for selecting displayed content from source devices to be replicated on at least a first common display screen in a collaborative workspace, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a control assembly that includes;

(i) a first control interface including at least a first interface first control button associated with the at least a first common display screen, the first interface first control button including a first interface first indicator capable of indicating first and second different states;

(ii) a second control interface including at least a second interface first control button associated with the at least a first common display screen, the second interface first control button including a second interface first indicator capable of indicating first and second different states;

upon linking a first source device to the first control interface and while the content on the display screen of the first source device is not replicated on the first common display screen, causing the first interface first indicator to indicate the first state;

when the first interface first control button is selected, replicating the content from the first source device linked to the first control interface on the at least a first common display screen;

upon linking a second source device to the second control interface and while the content on the display screen of the second source device is not replicated on the first common display screen, causing the second interface first indicator to indicate the first state; and

when the second interface first control button is selected, replicating the content from the second source device linked to the second control interface on the at least a first common display screen.

10. The method of claim 9 further including the steps of, prior to linking the first source device to the first control interface, causing the first interface first indicator to indicate the second state and prior to linking the second source device to the second control interface, causing the second interface first indicator to indicate the second state.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein each of the indicators is further capable of indicating a third state, the method further including the steps of, with the first source device linked to the first control interface and while the content on the display screen of the first source device is replicated on the first common display screen, causing the first interface first indicator to indicate the third state and, with the second source device linked to the second control interface and while the content on the display screen of the second source device is replicated on the first common display screen, causing the second interface first indicator to indicate the third state.

12. The method of claim 9 further including the steps of, with the first source device linked to the first control interface and while the content on the display screen of the first source device is replicated on the first common display screen, causing the first interface first indicator to indicate the second state and, with the second source device linked to the second control interface and while the content on the display screen of the second source device is replicated on the first common display screen, causing the second interface first indicator to indicate the second state.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein each indicator includes a light device.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein each indicator includes a light device.

15. The method of claim 9 further including providing a table structure wherein each of the control interfaces is secured to the table structure.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein, when a control button is selected on any of the control interfaces while the control interface is linked to a source device, the content from the display screen of the linked source device is used to replace current content on the common display screen irrespective of whether or not content from another source device is being presented via the common display screen when the control button is selected.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein the first control interface is separate from the second control interface.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein each control interface also includes an audible sound generator device.

19. An assembly for sharing content from video source devices on at a first common display screen, the apparatus comprising:

a switching device linked to the display assembly for providing content thereto to be presented via the first common display screen;

a plurality of control interfaces attached to the table assembly and linked to the switcher device, each control interface including at least a first selectable control, a connector for connecting to a video source device and at least one indicator;

wherein, a video source device is associated with one of the control interfaces by linking the source device to the control interface;

wherein, when a first source device is linked to a first control interface, selection of the first selectable control on the first control interface causes the switching device to provide video information to replicate the content from the display screen of the first source device on the first display screen and causes the indicator on the first control interface to indicate that the content from the display screen of the first source device is replicated on the first common display screen; and

wherein, when a second source device is linked to a second control interface, selection of the first selectable control on the second control interface causes the switching device to provide video information to replicate the content from the display screen of the second source device on the first display screen and causes the indicator on the second control interface to indicate that the content from the display screen of the second source device is replicated on the first common display screen.

20. The assembly of claim 19 wherein each indicator includes a light device.

21. The assembly of claim 19 wherein each indicator includes a sound generating device.