Interface for a system of method of electronic presentations having multiple display screens with remote input

• US 7,058,891 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Learning Box LLC
• Original Assignee: The Learning Box LLC
• Inventors: O'Neal, David, Smith, Sean Dare, Ackerman, Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Bautista, X. L.
• Application Number:
  US10/448,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20040113935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 345716-719, 345/723, 345/730, 345/732, 345/733, 345/740, 345/751, 345/753, 345/764, 345/778, 345/970, 715/700, 715/702, 715716-719, 715/723, 715/730, 715/732, 715/733, 715/740, 715/751, 715/753, 715/764, 715/778, 715/781, 715/810, 715/970
• US Class Current: 715/730
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/041 Connecting closures to device or container
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0415 electrical forces, e.g. electrokinetic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/285 electrically driven carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/565 slurry packing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/56 Packing methods or coating methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/6095 Micromachined or nanomachined, e.g. micro- or nanosize
• 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 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/08 providing for individual presentation of information to a plurality of student stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor

Abstract

An electronic presentation system and method provides multiple display screens for presentation materials as well as permits dynamic annotations to presentation materials that do not permanently alter the presentation materials. The presentation materials can easily be directed to any one of the display screens and any annotations can be saved for future use or simply deleted. A single interface screen allows simple annotation of either the left or right screen images while a zoom feature allows slides to be presented in a variety of different ways. Additional features include tracking and displaying an indication of how a presentation is progressing relative to a pre-set timeline, identifying and tracking slides of a presentation which need correction or updating, and permitting a presenter to annotate slides of a presentation while located remotely from the presentation system.

Claims

1. A method for providing an electronic presentation of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, comprising the steps of:

displaying a slide, from among the plurality of slides, in a preview window within a presentation control interface on a first display screen;

receiving input via the presentation control interface indicating whether to direct the slide to a second display screen or a third display screen;

dispatching the slide for display on the indicated display screen;

displaying simultaneously with the slide in the preview window within the presentation control interface, a first window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the second display screen and a second window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the third display screen,

receiving input from a device located remotely from the presentation control interface; and

retrieving a next slide for display in the preview window.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

outputting the slide as right-side video data if the slide is dispatched to the second display screen; and

outputting the slide as left-side video data if the slide is directed to the third display screen;

selecting one of the first window and second window via the presentation control interface;

adjusting the right-side video data based on the received input, if the selected window corresponds to the second display screen; and

adjusting the left-side video data based on the received input, if the selected window corresponds to the third display screen.

3. The method according to the claim 2, wherein either of the conditional adjusting steps include highlighting a portion of the selected window.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

marking a selected slide from among the plurality of slides to indicate a revision of the selected slide is needed.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of:

adding one or more annotations to the marked selected slide.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

if said marked selected slide is dispatched for display on the indicated display screen, then displaying the annotations within the presentation control interface but not on the indicated display screen.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

forwarding the marked selected slide to a remote location.

8. A method for providing an electronic presentation of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, comprising the steps of:

displaying a slide, from among the plurality of slides, in a preview window within the presentation control interface on a first display screen;

receiving input via the presentation control interface indicating whether to direct the slide to a second display screen or a third display screen;

dispatching the slide for display on the indicated display screen;

displaying simultaneously with the slide in the preview window within the presentation control interface, a first window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the second display screen and a second window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the third display screen,

retrieving a next slide for display in the preview window;

starting a timer when a first of the plurality of slides is dispatched for display;

determining a timestamp for when a current slide is dispatched for display;

comparing the timestamp to a predetermined timeline associated with the plurality of slides; and

indicating within the presentation control interface whether the current slide was dispatched behind, in conformance with, or ahead of the predetermined timeline.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

dispatching for display each of the plurality of slides;

storing the timestamp for each current slide when it is dispatched for display; and

forwarding the stored timestamps to a remote location.

10. A system providing electronic presentations comprising:

a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by a programmable computer;

a first display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a first video input signal;

a second display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a second video input signal;

a third display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a third video input signal;

a presentation control application stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer;

an input device located remotely from the programmable computer; and

the programmable computer being configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by which each of the plurality of slides is dispatched for display to either one of the first or second display screens, wherein said interface is configured to simultaneously display;

a first window displaying a first image corresponding to the first video input signal;

a second window displaying a second image corresponding to the second video signal; and

a third window displaying an image of a next presentation slide.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to modify either the first or second image based on input received from the input device.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to mark a selected slide from among the plurality of slides and to add one or more annotations to the marked selected slide.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein if the marked selected slide is dispatched for display on either the first or second display screens, then the presentation control application is configured to display the annotations within the interface but not on either the first or second display screens.

14. A system providing electronic presentations comprising:

a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by a programmable computer;

a first display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a first video input signal;

a second display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a second video input signal;

a third display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a third video input signal;

a presentation control application stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer;

an input device located remotely from the programmable computer; and

the programmable computer being configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by which each of the plurality of slides is dispatched for display to either one of the first or second display screens, wherein said interface is configured to simultaneously display;

a first window displaying a first image corresponding to the first video input signal;

a second window displaying a second image corresponding to the second video signal; and

a third window displaying an image of a next presentation slide;

wherein the plurality of slides are arranged in a presentation file; and

respective timing information, stored in the first memory, associated with each slide related to a prescribed timeline for the presentation file.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to:

determine a start time since a first slide in the presentation file was dispatched for display;

determine a time relative to the start time when a current slide in the presentation file is dispatched for display; and

determine if the current slide was dispatched behind, in conformance with, or ahead of the prescribed timeline.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to:

display on the third display screen and indication of whether the current slide was dispatched behind, in conformance with, or ahead of the prescribed timeline.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to:

generate a respective timestamp for each of the plurality of slides when each slide is dispatched for display; and

store the respective timestamps in the first memory.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to:

forward the stored respective timestamps along with identifying information about the presentation file to a remote location.

19. A system providing electronic presentations comprising:

a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by a programmable computer;

a first display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a first video input signal;

a second display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a second video input signal, said second video input signal different than said first video input signal;

a third display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a third video input signal, said third video input signal different than said first and second video input signals;

a presentation control application stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer;

an input device located remotely from the programmable computer, and

the programmable computer being configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by which each of the plurality of slides is dispatched for display to either one of the first or second display screens.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to modify either the first or second image based on input received from the input device.

21. The system according to claim 19, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to mark a selected slide from among the plurality of slides and to add one or more annotations to the marked selected slide.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein if the marked selected slide is dispatched for display on either the first or second display screens, then the presentation control application is configured to display the annotations within the interface but not on either the first or second display screens.

23. A system providing electronic presentations comprising:

a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by a programmable computer;

a first display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a first video input signal;

a second display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a second video input signal, said second video input signal different than said first video input signal;

a third display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a third video input signal, said third video input signal different than said first and second video input signals;

a presentation control application stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer;

the programmable computer being configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by which each of the plurality of slides is dispatched for display to either one of the first or second display screens;

wherein the plurality of slides are arranged in a presentation file; and

respective timing information, stored in the first memory, associated with each slide related to a prescribed timeline for the presentation file.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to:

determine a start time since a first slide in the presentation file was dispatched for display;

determine a time relative to the start time when a current slide in the presentation file is dispatched for display; and

determine if the current slide was dispatched behind, in conformance with, or ahead of the prescribed timeline.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to:

display on the third display screen and indication of whether the current slide was dispatched behind, in conformance with, or ahead of the prescribed timeline.

26. The system according to claim 23, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to:

generate a respective timestamp for each of the plurality of slides when each slide is dispatched for display; and

store the respective timestamps in the first memory.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the presentation control application is further configured to:

forward the stored respective timestamps along with identifying information about the presentation file to a remote location.