Tele-presence system with a user interface that displays different communication links

• US 8,836,751 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Ballantyne, James, Temby, Kelton, Rosenthal, James, Roe, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US13/291,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20130113871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.05, 348/14.01, 348/14.03, 348/14.08, 348/14.09
• US Class Current: 348/14.05
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A tele-presence system that includes a remote device coupled to a control station through a communication link. The remote device includes a remote monitor, a remote camera, a remote speaker and a remote microphone. Likewise, the control station includes a station monitor, a station camera, a station speaker and a station microphone. The control station displays a plurality of graphical icons that each represents a different type of communication link between the control station and the remote device. The graphical icons can be selected to allow a user of the control station to change the communication link between the remote device and its initial node.

Claims

1. A telepresence system, comprising:

a remote device at a first location that has a remote camera, a remote monitor, a remote speaker, a remote microphone, and microphone port; and

,

an auxiliary microphone that can be coupled to said microphone port;

a control station at a second location, distinct from said first location, that includes a station camera, a station monitor, a station speaker and a station microphone, said station speaker emits sound that is mixture of sound captured by both said remote microphone and said auxiliary microphone, said control station further comprises a control that allows a user to vary said mixture of sound captured by said remote microphone and said auxiliary microphone at said first location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said control comprises a graphical slide bar.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary port is a USB port.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary microphone is wirelessly coupled to said auxiliary port.

5. A method for communicating between a control station and a remote device, comprising:

transmitting an image that is captured by a station camera to the remote device located at a first location;

transmitting an image that is captured by a remote camera to the remote station located at a second location, distinct from said first location;

capturing sound with a remote microphone at said first location;

capturing sound with an auxiliary microphone at said first location; and

,

generating a mixture of the sound captured by the remote microphone and the auxiliary microphone from a remote station speaker; and

,

manipulating a control of said remote station at the second location to vary said mixture of sound captured by the remote microphone and the auxiliary microphone at the first location.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein manipulating a control of said remote station comprises moving a graphical slide bar.