Multi-board presentation system

• US 7,508,354 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dynamic Knowledge Transfer, LLC
• Original Assignee: Dynamic Knowledge Transfer, LLC
• Inventors: Sanders, Daniel P., Berque, David, Geringer, Jason A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shapiro; Leonid
• Application Number:
  US11/017,400
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 434/350, 434/362
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A multi-board presentation system has a plurality of interactive boards connected to and controlled by separate computers that are in communication with one another through a server. The multi-board system utilizes a multi-machine interface that runs concurrently on each interactive board/computer providing heterogeneous input and output capabilities. Each interactive board may be assigned or associated with an offset value that allows for various schemes of display of panels of content on the different interactive boards. Such schemes may be operated manually by a moderator or automatically via the system. A portable interactive tablet may be part of the multi-board system which interfaces with the plurality of interactive boards through the server. The present multi-board system may also include a plurality of interactive participant tablets that are in communication with the array of interactive boards. Each interactive user tablet allows the participant to select which panel of content to display on their interactive tablet. Each interactive participant tablet allows the participant to synchronize display of one or panels of content thereon as displayed on one or more of the interactive boards. Moreover, each interactive participant tablet accepts participant input that is displayable on an interactive board displaying the same panel of content, with the participant input optionally being masked or obscured.

Claims

1. A presentation system comprising:

a plurality of computer-enabled display devices each one of which is adapted to execute multi-board programming allowing designation of a master computer-enabled display device from the plurality of computer-enabled display devices, the master computer-enabled display device defining a reference panel from which other computer-enabled display devices determine a panel to display; and

a server in communication with each one of the plurality of computer-enabled display devices and adapted to execute the multi-board programming to provide a multi-board session operable to receive and disseminate commands and session data to and from the plurality of computer-enabled display devices;

wherein the master computer-enabled display device is configured to accept input relative to one or more panels of a session notebook, and to control display of any one of the panels of the session notebook on any one or more of the plurality of computer-enabled display devices; and

wherein each one of the plurality of computer-enabled display devices is assigned an offset value, the offset value of each computer-enabled display device determining a panel of the one or more panels of the session notebook to display on each one of the computer-enabled display devices board relative to a panel of the session notebook being displayed on the master computer-enabled display device.

2. The presentation system of claim 1, wherein the offset value causes each computer-enabled display device to automatically display a particular panel of the session notebook relative to a change in the panel of the session notebook being displayed on the master computer-enabled display device.

3. The presentation system of claim 2, wherein the offset value of each computer-enabled display device is selectable by a user.

4. The presentation system of claim 3, wherein panel display configuration relative to the plurality of computer-enabled display devices is selectable by the user via user selection of offset.

5. A presentation system comprising:

a plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards each one of which is adapted to execute multi-board programming allowing designation of a master computer-enabled interactive board from the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards, the master computer-enabled interactive board defining a reference panel from which other computer-enabled interactive boards determine a panel to display;

a server in communication with each one of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards and adapted to execute the multi-board programming to provide a multi-board session operable to receive and disseminate commands and session data to and from the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards; and

a portable computer-enabled interactive device in mutual communication with the server and configured to control display of each one of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards;

wherein the portable computer-enabled device is further configured to accept content input relative to one or more panels of a session notebook and to display the one or more panels of the session notebook on any one or more of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards; and

wherein each one of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards is assigned an offset value, the offset value of each computer-enabled interactive board determining a panel of the session notebook of the one or more panels of the session notebook to display on each one of the computer controlled interactive boards relative to a content panel of the session notebook being displayed on the portable computer-enabled interactive device.

6. The presentation system of claim 5, wherein the offset value causes each computer-enabled interactive board to automatically display a particular panel of the session notebook relative to a change in the panel of the session notebook being displayed on the portable computer-enabled interactive device.

7. The presentation system of claim 6, wherein the offset value of each computer-enabled interactive board is selectable by a user.

8. The presentation system of claim 7, wherein panel display configuration relative to the plurality of computer-enabled display devices is selectable by the user via user selection of offset.

9. A presentation system comprising:

a server;

a plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards including a master computer-enabled interactive board each one of which is in communication with the server; and

an interactive video tablet in communication with the server;

the master computer-enabled interactive board operable to accept input as panels of a session notebook and to control display of the panels of the session notebook on any one of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards relative to a panel displayed on the master computer-enabled interactive board, the server configured to allow the electronic video tablet to view any panel of the session notebook as displayed on any one of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards.

10. The presentation system of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of interactive video devices each one in communication with the server;

and

wherein the server is configured to allow each interactive video device to view any panel of the session notebook as displayed on any one of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards.

11. The presentation system of claim 9, wherein the server is further configured to allow the interactive video device to synchronize its view of a panel of the session notebook relative to a display of a panel of the session notebook on any one of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards.

12. The presentation system of claim 11, wherein the server is configured to enable an icon representing each one of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards on the interactive video device, the icon allowing a participant of the interactive video device to synchronize its display of a panel of the session notebook relative to the display of a panel of the session notebook of any one of the plurality of computer-enabled interactive boards.