Information sharing apparatus and information sharing system

• US 9,035,896 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2013
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Nagahara, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US13/856,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20130271403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 345/420.629, 358/1.15, 348 1407- 1412, 715/753
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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: 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 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A novel information sharing apparatus that comprises an information sharing system, connects multiple sites via a network shares each other'"'"'s handwriting and screens, and eases handwriting sender'"'"'s psychological burden. In the information sharing system, a handwriting sender generates stroke after a user inputs coordinates, display the stroke in unsteady state, and sends coordinate information to a handwriting receiver. The handwriting receiver generates stroke based on the coordinate information sent from the handwriting sender, displays the stroke, and returns response information for displaying succeeded to the handwriting sender. After receiving the response information from the handwriting receiver, the handwriting sender changes the displayed stroke from unsteady state to steady state.

Claims

1. An information sharing apparatus, comprising:

a coordinate detector to detect coordinate information corresponding to current position of a drawing device;

a processor to generate a drawing image in accordance with, and reflecting, the coordinate information detected by the coordinate detector, and to display the drawing image on a display in unsteady state; and

a communication unit to send the coordinate information to an other information sharing apparatus and receive response information from the other information sharing apparatus indicating successful display of a counterpart image based on the coordinate information reflected in the drawing image generated by the processor,

wherein the processor changes a displaying state of the drawing image from (a) unsteady state in which the coordinate information reflected in the drawing image has been sent to the other information sharing apparatus to (b) steady state in accordance with the response information received from the other information sharing apparatus.

2. An information sharing system comprising a plurality of information sharing apparatuses, wherein at least a first information sharing apparatus and a second information sharing apparatus of the plurality of information processing apparatuses comprises:

a coordinate detector to detect coordinate information corresponding to current position of a drawing device;

a processor to generate a drawing image in accordance with, and reflecting, the coordinate information detected by the coordinate detector or the coordinate information received from another information sharing apparatus, to display the drawing image on a display, and to generate response information in response to generating/displaying drawing image generated from the coordinate information received from the other information sharing apparatus; and

a communication unit to send the coordinate information to another information sharing apparatus and receive response information from the other information sharing apparatus indicating success in displaying a counterpart image based on the coordinate information reflected in the drawing image generated by the processor,

wherein a first information sharing apparatus whose coordinate detector detected the coordinate information displays the drawing image on the display based on the coordinate information in unsteady state and in said unsteady state sends the coordinate information to a second information sharing apparatus, and the second information sharing apparatus generates the counterpart image reflecting the coordinate information sent from the first information sharing apparatus, displays the counterpart image, and sends response information indicating success in displaying the counterpart image to the first information sharing apparatus, and the first information sharing apparatus changes the display from (a) unsteady state in which the coordinate information reflected in the drawing image has been sent to the second information sharing apparatus to (b) steady state after receiving the response information from the second information sharing apparatus.

3. The information sharing system according to claim 2, wherein the first information sharing apparatus resends the coordinate information unless it receives the response information within a predefined time period.

4. The information sharing system according to claim 3, wherein the first information sharing apparatus counts the number of times to resend the coordinate information to the second information sharing apparatus, displays a message indicating communication failed on the display if the counter value exceeds a predefined upper limit for the number of times to try sending, counts the number of communication failures, and displays a message indicating displaying failed on the display if the counter value exceeds the predefined upper limit for the number of times to try displaying.

5. An information sharing system comprising a plurality of information sharing apparatuses and a server apparatus connected with each other via a network, wherein the information sharing system comprises:

a coordinate detector to detect coordinate information corresponding to current position of a drawing device;

a processor to generate a drawing image in accordance with, and reflecting, the coordinate information, to display the drawing image on a display, and to generate response information in response to generating/displaying drawing image generated from the coordinate information;

a communication unit to exchange the coordinate information and the response information with the plurality of information sharing apparatuses; and

a memory to store the coordinate information received from the information sharing apparatus,

wherein a first information sharing apparatus whose coordinate detector detected the coordinate information displays the drawing image on the display based on the coordinate information in unsteady state, and in said unsteady state sends the coordinate information to a second information sharing apparatus and stores the coordinate information sent from the first information sharing apparatus, and the second information sharing apparatus generates a counterpart image reflecting the coordinate information sent from the first information sharing apparatus, displays the counterpart image, and sends response information indicating success in displaying the counterpart image based on the coordinate information reflected in the drawing image generated by the processor to the first information sharing apparatus, and the first information sharing apparatus changes the display from (a) unsteady state in which the coordinate information reflected in the drawing image has been sent to the second information sharing apparatus to (b) steady state after receiving the response information from the second information sharing apparatus.

6. The information sharing system according to claim 5, wherein the first information sharing apparatus resends the coordinate information to the server apparatus unless the first information sharing apparatus receives the response information from the server apparatus within predefined period, and the server apparatus resends the coordinate information to the second information sharing apparatus unless the server apparatus receives the response information from the second information sharing apparatus.

7. The information sharing system according to claim 5, wherein the server apparatus sends first response information to the first information sharing apparatus after receiving the coordinate information from the first information sharing apparatus, sends second response information to the first information sharing apparatus after receiving the response information from the second information sharing apparatus, and sends third response information to the first information sharing apparatus unless the server apparatus receives response information from the second information sharing apparatus, and the first information sharing apparatus displays a message indicating that communication failed unless the first information sharing apparatus receives the first response information from the server apparatus, changes the display from unsteady state to steady state if the first information sharing apparatus receives the second response information from the server apparatus after receiving the first response information from the server apparatus, and displays a message indicating that displaying failed if the first information sharing apparatus receives the third response information after receiving the first response information from the server apparatus.