Dynamic conference table display system

• US 7,821,510 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chudy, David, Topiwala, Dharmesh, Aksemit, Slavek, Medina, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US11/735,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 345/690, 345/751, 345/156, 345/82, 345/204, 345/180, 345/545, 345/157, 345/629, 705 1412- 1439, 705/16, 705/17, 705/10, 715/753, 715/751, 715/838, 715/273
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A conference table display system, which includes a screen displayed on top of a conference table. The screen is capable of displaying multiple desktop views. The system further includes multiple storage devices, each storage device containing information related to a particular user. The location and size of each desktop view on the screen is associated with a particular storage device. The computer system causes information from the storage device to be displayed on the screen in a desktop view. When a new storage device is coupled to the computer system, the computer system adjusts the sizes and the locations of the desktop views displayed on the screen to enable information from the new storage device to be displayed on the screen in a desktop view at a location and of a size associated with the new storage device.

Claims

1. A dynamic conference table display system, comprising:

a screen displayed on top of a conference table, wherein the screen is capable of displaying multiple individual desktop views, the screen covering the entirety of a top surface of the conference table;

multiple storage devices, each storage device containing information related to a particular user, wherein the location and size of each desktop view on the screen is associated with a particular storage device; and

a connector for coupling the multiple storage devices to a computer system that interfaces with the screen, wherein when a storage device is coupled to the computer system via the connector, the computer system causes information from the storage device to be displayed on the screen in a desktop view at a location and of a size associated with the storage device, and wherein when a new storage device is coupled to the computer system, the computer system adjusts the sizes and the locations of the desktop views displayed on the screen to enable information from the new storage device to be displayed on the screen in a desktop view at a location and of a size associated with the new storage device, and wherein when the storage device is moved in relation to the top surface of the conference table the view moves automatically along the display with the storage device.

2. The dynamic conference table display system of claim 1, wherein the connector is a strip disposed on the table that allows the storage devices to communicate with the computer system via magnetic induction.

3. The dynamic conference table display system of claim 1, wherein the size of each desktop view depends on the number of desktop views being displayed, and the location of each desktop view depends upon the location of the associated storage device.

4. The dynamic conference table display device of claim 1, wherein the screen is touch-sensitive and enables users to input information to be displayed in the desktop views and transfer information between desktop views.

5. The dynamic conference table display device of claim 1, wherein the screen comprises a shared screen space in a central location for displaying information to all the users.

6. The dynamic conference table display device of claim 4, wherein the screen enables users to transfer information to other users by selecting user names from a list of users.