System and method for point to point integration of personal computers with videoconferencing systems

• US 9,197,852 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2005
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kenoyer, Michael, Horowitz, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): KHAJURIA, SHRIPAL K
• Application Number:
  US11/101,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,883 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/204, 348/14.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/28 characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks] wireless communication networks H04W ; arrangements for dividing the transmission path H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system and method for integrating a personal computer based presentation with a videoconferencing system. A coupling device includes a card, insertable into a PCMCIA slot of a laptop computer or like machine, which includes a cable coupled to the card at a first end and to a connector coupled at a second end. The card includes firmware for loading into RAM of the computer and software operable to execute code.

Claims

1. An apparatus for conducting videoconferences, the apparatus comprising:

a videoconferencing system at a local site configured to be coupled via a network connection to a remote videoconferencing system; and

a personal computer coupled to the videoconferencing system via a local area network, wherein the personal computer executes software to cause the personal computer to stream a compressed and scaled image from the personal computer to the videoconferencing system for display as a live graphic on a remote monitor;

wherein bandwidth of the network connection between the videoconferencing system and the remote videoconferencing system is dynamically shared between the compressed and scaled image from the personal computer and a video image of a participant at the local site.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the personal computer presents a presentation control user interface to a user for control of the compressed and scaled image transmitted to the videoconferencing system.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the compressed and scaled presentation image is displayed locally by the videoconferencing system.

4. An apparatus for conducting videoconferences, the apparatus comprising:

a videoconferencing system at a local site configured to be coupled via a network connection to a remote videoconferencing system; and

a personal computer coupled to the videoconferencing system via a local area network, wherein the personal computer executes software to cause the personal computer to stream a compressed and scaled image from the personal computer to the videoconferencing system for display as a live graphic on a remote monitor;

wherein the videoconferencing system serves as a DHCP server to the personal computer over the local area network.

5. A method of integrating presentation content with a videoconference, the method comprising:

executing, on a personal computer, software causing a compressed and scaled image from the personal computer to be transmitted to a videoconferencing system coupled to the personal computer via a local area network;

receiving at the videoconferencing system the compressed and scaled image; and

transmitting the compressed and scaled image from the videoconferencing system to a remote videoconferencing system via a network connection;

whereby the compressed and scaled image can be displayed by the remote videoconferencing system;

wherein transmitting the compressed and scaled image from the videoconferencing system to a remote videoconferencing system via a network connection further comprises dynamically sharing bandwidth between the compressed and scaled image and a video image of a local participant at the videoconferencing system.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising executing, on the personal computer, software causing a presentation control user interface to be displayed to a user.