Eye contact video-conferencing system and screen
First Claim
1. A video-conferencing system comprisinga plurality of stations interconnected by a transmission system, each station includinga screen for displaying images, said screen being simultaneously transparent and translucent;
- a camera located behind said screen for generating a video signal of images captured through said screen; and
a projector for projecting images, said projected images being diffused at, and displayed on, said screen.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Our video-conferencing system comprises stations which are remotely located from one another and interconnected by a transmission system. Each station includes a camera, a projector, and a screen, which is simultaneously translucent with respect to the projector and transparent with respect to the camera. The projector as well as the camera are placed behind and in line with the screen, thus allowing greater viewing reciprocity and eye-contact and projecting a stronger feeling of reality to the video-conferencing parties. Our screen includes segments which discriminates between projected light and light to be captured by the camera based upon polarization or angle.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A video-conferencing system comprising
a plurality of stations interconnected by a transmission system, each station including a screen for displaying images, said screen being simultaneously transparent and translucent; -
a camera located behind said screen for generating a video signal of images captured through said screen; and a projector for projecting images, said projected images being diffused at, and displayed on, said screen.
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2. A video-conferencing system comprising
a plurality of stations interconnected by a transmission system, each station including a screen for displaying images, said screen being simultaneously transparent and translucent; -
a camera located behind said screen for generating a video signal of images captured through said screen; a projector for displaying projected images on said screen, and means located between said camera and said screen for blocking said projected images from entering said camera. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
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5. A video-conferencing system comprising
a plurality of stations interconnected by a transmission system, each station including a screen for displaying images, said screen being simultaneously transparent and translucent, wherein said screen comprises a plurality of segments of polarizing material, alternate ones of said segments being positioned adjacent to one another and having orthogonal directions of polarization; -
a camera located behind said screen for generating a video signal of images captured through said screen; and a projector for displaying projected images on said screen. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A video-conferencing system comprising
a plurality of stations interconnected by a transmission system, each station including a screen for displaying images, said screen being simultaneously transparent and translucent, wherein said screen includes an isotropic sheet having a first index of refraction, a birefringent sheet having a roughened surface, having said first index of refraction with respect to said images captured through said screen and polarized in a first direction of polarization and having a second index of refraction with respect to projected images polarized substantially orthogonal to said first direction of polarization, and an index-matching material between said roughened surface of said birefringent sheet and said isotropic sheet, said material having said first index of refraction, wherein upon projected images polarized substantially orthogonal to said first direction of polarization entering the screen, said orthogonally-polarized projected images encounter an index mismatch between said roughened surface of said birefringent sheet and said index-matching material and are scattered to display the projected images on the screen; -
a camera located behind said screen for generating a video signal of images captured through said screen; and a projector for displaying projected images on said screen.
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11. A video-conferencing system comprising
a plurality of stations interconnected by a transmission system, each station including a screen for displaying images, said screen being simultaneously transparent and translucent, wherein said screen includes a first array of segments for transmitting light through said screen and a second array of segments which are adjacent to and alternating with said segments of said first array, said second array of segments for diffusing light on said screen; -
a camera located behind said screen for generating a video signal of images captured through said screen; and a projector for displaying projected images on said screen. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A video-conferencing station comprising
a screen for displaying images, said screen being simultaneously transparent and translucent; -
a camera located behind said screen for generating a video signal of images captured through said screen; and a projector for projecting images, said projected images being diffused at, and displayed on, said screen.
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18. A video-conferencing station comprising
a screen for displaying images, said screen being simultaneously transparent and translucent; -
a camera located behind said screen for generating a video signal of images captured through said screen; a projector for displaying projected images on said screen; a first polarizer, located between said projector and said screen and having a first direction of polarization, for passing said projected images from said projector which are aligned with said first direction of polarization; and a second polarizer, located between said camera and said screen and having a second direction of polarization which is substantially orthogonal to said first direction of polarization, for blocking said projected images having said first direction of polarization from entering said camera.
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19. A video-conferencing screen for use in a video-conferencing station, which includes a camera and a projector, comprising
a first set of segments having a diffusing surface for displaying an image projected from the projector; - and
a second set of segments through which the camera can capture an image at the station, wherein said first set of segments are translucent with respect to the projected image and said second set of segments are transparent with respect to said captured image. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A video-conferencing screen for use in a video-conferencing station, which includes a camera for generating a video signal of images captured through the screen and a projector for displaying projected images on the screen, comprising:
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an isotropic sheet having a first index of refraction; a birefringent sheet having a roughened surface, having said first index of refraction with respect to projected images polarized in a first direction of polarization, and having a second index of refraction with respect to projected images polarized substantially orthogonal to said first direction of polarization; and an index-matching material between said roughened surface of said birefringent sheet and said isotropic sheet, said material having said first index of refraction, wherein upon projected images polarized substantially orthogonal to said first direction of polarization entering the screen, said orthogonally-polarized projected images encounter an index mismatch between said roughened surface of said birefringent sheet and said index-matching material and are scattered to display the projected images on the screen. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A display screen for a video-conferencing system comprising
a first array of segments for transmitting light through said screen and a second array of segments which are adjacent to and alternating with said segments of said first array, said second array of segments for diffusing light on said screen, whereby said screen is simultaneously transparent and translucent.
Specification