Electronic tool and methods for meetings

• US 8,756,348 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barco NV
• Original Assignee: Barco NV
• Inventors: Beel, Koen Simon Herman, Nir, Yoav, Louwet, Filip Josephine Johan, Coen, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): SUN, SCOTT C
• Application Number:
  US13/270,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4025 where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• 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 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

An electronic meeting tool for communicating arbitrary media content from users at a meeting includes a node configuration operating a display node of a communications network that is coupled to a display. The node configuration receives user selected arbitrary media content and controls display of the user selected arbitrary media content on the display. At least one peripheral device communicates the user selected arbitrary media content via the communications network. The peripheral device is a connection unit including a connector that couples to a port of a processing device having a second display, a memory and an operating system; and a transmitter communicating with the communications network. A program is provided to run on the operating system of the processing device and obtains user selected arbitrary media content, while leaving a zero footprint on termination.

Claims

1. An electronic meeting tool for communicating arbitrary media content from users at a meeting comprising:

a node configuration arranged to operate a display node of a communications network, the display node being coupled to a first display, the node configuration further being arranged to receive user selected arbitrary media content and to control display of the user selected arbitrary media content on the first display;

at least one peripheral device configured to communicate the user selected arbitrary media content via the communications network, wherein the peripheral device is a connection unit comprising;

(a) a connector arranged to couple to a port of a processing device having a second display, a memory and an operating system; and

(b) a transmitter arranged to communicate with the communications network,

a program configured to be loaded onto the processing device and to run on the operating system of the processing device, said program being arranged to obtain user selected arbitrary media content, said program leaving a zero footprint on termination, and

an input device enabling the user to carry out a user action that triggers transfer of said user selected arbitrary media content to said transmitter through said port.

2. The electronic meeting tool of claim 1, wherein the program is stored on the peripheral device.

3. The electronic meeting tool of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a wireless transmitter or transceiver.

4. The electronic meeting tool of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device is a plug-and-play device.

5. The electronic meeting tool of claim 1, wherein the program is arranged to screen scrape content of the second display.

6. The electronic meeting tool claim 1, wherein the input device is physical actuator coupled to the peripheral device.

7. The electronic meeting tool of claim 6, wherein the physical actuator has a surface area of between 100 and 14,400 square mm.

8. The electronic meeting tool of claim 1, wherein the input device is a key displayed on the second display.

9. The electronic meeting tool of claim 8, wherein the key displayed on the second display is not screen scraped by the program.

10. The electronic meeting tool of claim 1, wherein the peripheral device comprises a memory in which executable software code is stored for execution on the processing device, said executable software code comprising:

a first software code portion for setting up, by means of a pre-installed generic driver of the operating system, a means for communication between the peripheral device and the processing device;

a second software code portion for connecting the processing device to the communications network via the peripheral device, the peripheral device having a transceiver;

a third software code portion for screen scraping data from the processing device; and

a fourth software code for routing screen scraped data between the processing device and the communications network over the means for communication;

wherein the first software code portion is adapted to use a generic communication protocol for transferring the screen scraped data between the processing device and the peripheral device.

11. A non-transitory storage medium storing the first to fourth software code portion of claim 10.

12. A method for communicating arbitrary media content from users at a meeting comprising:

operating a display node of a communications network, the display node being coupled to a first display, to receive user selected arbitrary media content and to control display of the user selected arbitrary media content on the first display; and

connecting a peripheral device to a port of a processing device and communicating the user selected arbitrary media content via the communications network,

loading a program onto the processing device and running the program on the operating system of the processing device to obtain user selected arbitrary media content, said program leaving a zero footprint on termination, and

triggering transfer of said user selected arbitrary media content to said transmitter through said port after a user action on an input device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising configuring the peripheral device to connect to the communications network by pairing the peripheral device with the display node.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pairing is performed by plugging the peripheral device into the display node.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising setting up by means of a pre-installed generic driver of the operating system, a means for communication between the peripheral device and the processing device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein a pre-installed generic driver is selected from a human interface device driver and a mass storage device driver.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising one of:

presenting the peripheral device to the processing device as a human interface device,

presenting the peripheral device to the processing device as a mass storage device; and

presenting the peripheral device to the processing device as a composite device.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the program is stored on the peripheral device, and which obtains screen scraped data when run on the processing device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein a generic communication protocol is used for transferring screen scraped data between the processing device and the peripheral device.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising displaying the user selected arbitrary media content on the first display in accordance with a set of rules.