Image-display method, projector, image-display system, projector-control method, image-display program, and projector-control program

• US 8,230,000 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Sato, Minoru, Kubota, Shinji, Karasawa, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): HOANG, HIEU T
• Application Number:
  US12/493,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20090284667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/204, 709/205
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/82 Protecting input, output or interconnection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

With a conventional image-display system, a presenter sometimes has difficulty in providing every viewer with an easy-to-see picture. When projecting an image transmitted from a computer operated by the presenter and enabling the viewer to watch the image projected by the projector, the projector receives image data transmitted through two-way communication from the computer operated by the presenter, projects an image represented by the received image data and transmits the received image data to a client computer operated by the viewer through the two-way communication, and the client computer receives the image data transmitted through the two-way communication and displays the image represented by the received image data on its display.

Claims

1. An image projection system comprising:

a projector including;

a memory that stores image data and a first password of a presentation;

a projection controller including a projection section of the projector, the projection controller controls the projection section to visibly project onto a screen a first image produced by combining a password image with a second image, the password image being an image of the first password to be input to a computer, the second image corresponding to the image data of the presentation;

a first communication control unit including a first network interface of the projector, the first communication control unit communicates with the computer via a network; and

a projector-control program that determines whether a second password received from the computer matches the first password; and

the computer including;

a second communication control unit including a second network interface of the computer, the second communication control unit communicates with the projector via the network;

a display unit; and

an input device;

wherein the second communication control unit of the computer sends the second password inputted by the input device to the projector;

wherein, if the projector-control program determines that the second password sent from the computer matches the first password stored in the memory, the first communication control unit of the projector transmits the image data to the computer, wherein the second communication control unit of the computer receives the transmitted image data from the projector and the display unit of the computer displays the second image corresponding to the transmitted image data.

2. The image projection system of claim 1, wherein the image data is designated as delivery-permitted data for delivery to the computer or as delivery-prohibited data for withholding from and not delivering to the computer, and wherein the projector-control program further checks that the image data is the delivery-designated data before the first communication control unit of the projector transmits the image data to the computer.

3. A network projector for use with a computer connected to the projector via a network, the projector comprising:

a memory that stores image data and a first password of a presentation;

a projection controller including a projection section of the projector, the projection controller controls the projection section to visibly project onto a screen a first image produced by combining a password image with a second image, the password image being an image of the first password to be input to the computer, the second image corresponding to the image data of the presentation;

a first communication control unit including a first network interface of the projector, the first communication control unit communicates with the computer via a network; and

a projector-control program that determines whether a second password received from the computer matches the first password; and

wherein, if the projector-control program determines that the second password received from the computer matches the first password stored in the memory, the first communication control unit of the projector transmits the image data to the computer.

4. The network projector of claim 3, wherein the image data is designated as delivery-permitted data for delivery to the computer or as delivery-prohibited data for withholding from and not delivering to the computer, and wherein the projector control program further checks that the image data is the delivery-designated data before the first communication control unit of the projector transmits the image data to the computer.