Interactive whiteboard for private use

• US 9,411,441 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2010
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Promethean Limited (Best Assistant Education Group Co.)
• Original Assignee: Promethean Limited (Best Assistant Education Group Co.)
• Inventors: Pearce, Nigel
• Primary Examiner(s): Yodichkas, Aneeta
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELNAFIA, SAIFELDIN E
• Application Number:
  US12/862,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20110050611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,177 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.2, 345/1.3, 345/2.1, 345/2.3, 345/173, 345156-158, 345/163, 345/166, 345/168, 345/174, 345/179, 715733-747, 715/751, 715/759
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method of controlling a computer system is disclosed. The computer system is adapted to receive inputs from an interactive display surface and one or more other input devices. The computer system is further adapted to display images on the interactive display surface and a further display surface. The interactive display surface and the further display surface forms a contiguous desktop display for the computer system. The method includes receiving input data from the one or more input devices, where a foreground application is determined in dependence upon the input data from the one or more input devices and receiving input data from the interactive display surface, where the input data from the interactive display surface does not affect the determination of the foreground application.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a computing device being associated with an interactive display surface and a further display surface together forming a contiguous desktop display for the computing device, the method comprising:

running an application at the computing device for display on the interactive display surface;

receiving, at the computing device, board input data from the interactive display surface;

running a separate application at the computing device for display on the further display;

receiving, at the computing device, mouse input data from one or more other input devices, which mouse data is not received at the interactive display surface;

determining a current foreground application of the computing device solely in dependence upon the mouse data from the one or more other input devices,

wherein any board input data from the interactive display surface does not affect the determination of the foreground application of the computing device such that any board input data from the interactive display surface does not interrupt the input focus of the operating system of the computing device, and wherein an application cannot become a foreground application of the computing device under the control of any board input data from the interactive display surface.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, at the computing device, routing the board input data from the interactive display surface to one or more applications.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of routing the board input data received from the interactive display surface comprises converting the data into a proprietary format.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the one or more applications are adapted to process the board input data in the proprietary format.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein any background application receiving board input data from the interactive display surface is maintained as a background application.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the board input data from the interactive display surface is thereby prevented from interrupting the mouse input data received from the one or more input devices.

7. The method of claim 1 in which an input focus of the computing device is thereby unaffected by the board input data from the interactive display system.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing a computer program code which, when run on a computing device, performs the method steps of claim 1.

9. A computing device adapted to display one or more images on an interactive display surface and to display one or more images on a further display, the computing device being further adapted to receive board input data from the interactive display surface and mouse input data from one or more further input devices, mouse input data from the one or more further input devices not being received at the interactive display surface, the computing device being adapted to run an application at the computing device for display on the interactive display surface and to run a separate application at the computing device for display on the further display, the computing device being further adapted to determine a current foreground application solely in dependence upon the mouse input data received from the one or more further input devices, and to make said determination independent of any board input data received from the interactive display surface such that any board input data from the interactive display surface does not interrupt the input focus of the operating system, and wherein an application cannot become a foreground application under the control of any board input data from the interactive display surface.

10. The computing device of claim 9 further adapted such that any application receiving board input data from the interactive display surface is maintained as a background application.

11. The computing device of claim 9 further adapted such that one or more images displayed on the interactive display surface are associated with the one or more applications.

12. The computing device of claim 9 further adapted to control the one or more background applications using the interactive display surface.

13. The computing device of claim 9 further adapted to route the mouse input data from the one or more input devices to one or more possible foreground applications.

14. The computing device of claim 13 further adapted such that one or more images displayed on the further display are associated with the one or more possible foreground applications.

15. The computing device of claim 13 further adapted such that the one of the one or more possible foreground applications with which the mouse input data from the one or more input devices is associated is determined to be the foreground application.

16. The computing device of claim 9 wherein the interactive display surface is a display surface of a projection system and the further display is a display of the computing device.

17. The computing device of claim 9 wherein there is further provided a pointing device, the interactive display surface being adapted to detect the presence and position of the pointing device on the interactive surface.

18. The computing device of claim 17 wherein the interactive display surface is a touch sensitive surface and the pointing device is a finger.

19. The computing device of claim 9 wherein the interactive display surface is adapted to control a first set of software applications and the one or more further input devices are adapted to control a second set of software applications.