Providing position information in a collaborative environment

• US 9,053,455 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Barrus, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOI, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US13/041,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B43L 1/00 Repeatedly-usable boards or tablets for writing or drawing drawing-boards B43L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/12 different stations being capable of presenting different information simultaneously G09B5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1025 of avatars
• 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

Abstract

In systems that enable collaboration, techniques are provided for communicating and displaying positional information with respect to these systems so as to enhance the collaborative experience. The systems may include interactive whiteboard (IWB) systems participating in a collaborative session. The position of an object (e.g., a user) at a first IWB system may be tracked and displayed at a second IWB system located remotely from the first IWB system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a first system, a first image representing a first object relative to a first writing surface based on position information indicative of a position of the first object relative to the first writing surface, the first object comprising a user using the first system, the first writing surface comprising a component of the first system used for inputting written information;

generating, by the first system, a first signal comprising the first image and first digital information corresponding to information representing drawings captured at the first system using the first writing surface, wherein a portion of the first image overlaps with a portion of the first digital information; and

communicating, by the first system, the first signal to a second system generating a display of the first image and the first digital information based on the first signal such that the portion of the first image and the portion of the first digital information that overlap with each other are both visible and distinguishable.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the first system, a second signal comprising the first image; and

receiving, by the first system, a third signal comprising the first digital information;

wherein generating the first signal comprises generating the first signal based upon the second signal and the third signal.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a second signal comprising second digital information corresponding to information representing drawings captured at the second system on a second writing surface of the second system and a second image representing a second object relative to the second writing surface.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

causing the second signal to be projected onto the first writing surface; and

displaying the second image and the second digital information such that a second portion of the second image and a second portion of the second digital information that overlap with each other and are both visible and distinguishable.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first image comprises:

receiving, by the first system, sensor data captured by one or more sensors, the sensor data representing the position of the first object; and

generating the first image based upon the sensor data.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the sensor data comprises at least one of data received from a pressure sensor, data received from a motion sensor, depth information received from a camera, autofocus information received from a camera, data received from a proximity sensor, or data received from an audio recording device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first image comprises a silhouette of a portion of the user.

8. A method of handling information sent between a first system and a second system, the method comprising:

receiving, by the second system, a signal generated by the first system, the first signal comprising a first image representing a first object relative to a first writing surface and first digital information corresponding to information representing drawings captured at the first system using the first writing surface, the first image generated by the first system based on position information indicative of a position of the first object relative to the first writing surface and the first object comprising a user using the first system, the first writing surface comprising a component of the first system used for inputting written information, wherein a portion of the first image overlaps with a portion of the first digital information; and

generating, by the second system, a display of the first image and the first digital information based on the signal received from the first system, wherein the portion of the first image and the portion of the first digital information that overlap with each other are both visible and distinguishable.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

generating the display of the first image and the first digital information comprises causing the signal to be output on a writing surface of the second system.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first image comprises a silhouette of a portion of the user.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions that cause a first system to generate a first image representing a first object relative to a first writing surface based on position information indicative of a position of the first object with respect to the first writing surface, the first object comprising a user using the first system, the first writing surface comprising a component of the first system used for inputting written information;

instructions that cause the first system to generate a first signal comprising the first image and first digital information corresponding to information representing drawings captured at the first system using the first writing surface, wherein a portion of the first image overlaps with a portion of the first digital information; and

instructions that cause the first system to communicate the first signal to a second system generating a display of the first image and the first digital information such that the portion of the first image and the portion of the first digital information that overlap with each other are both visible and distinguishable.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the plurality of instructions further comprises:

instructions that cause the first system to receive a second signal comprising the first image; and

instructions that cause the first system to receive a third signal comprising the first digital information;

wherein the instructions that cause the first system to generate the first signal comprise instructions that cause the first system to generate the first signal based upon the second signal and the third signal.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise instructions that cause the first system to receiving a second signal comprising second digital information corresponding to information representing drawings captured at the second system on a second writing surface of the second system and a second image representing a second object relative to the second writing system.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise:

instructions that cause the first system to project the second signal onto the first writing surface; and

instructions that cause the first system to display the second image and the second digital information such that a portion of the second image and a portion of the second digital information that overlap with each other and are both visible and distinguishable.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the instructions that cause the first system to generate the first image comprise:

instructions that cause the first system to receive sensor data captured by one or more sensors, the sensor data representing the position of the first object; and

instructions that cause the first system to generate the first image based upon the sensor data.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the sensor data comprises at least one of data received from a pressure sensor, data received from a motion sensor, depth information received from a camera, autofocus information received from a camera, data received from a proximity sensor, or data received from an audio recording device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the first image comprises a silhouette of a portion of the user.