Conference device

• US 9,521,361 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2015
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Yano, Ryota
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US14/613,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20150146095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/02 Constructional features of telephone sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• 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 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A conference device receives and transmits at least one of images and voice via a communication network. The conference device includes a housing having an upper wall; and an operating unit installed on the upper wall. The operating unit includes a first operating member group made up of a plurality of operating members, and at least one different operating member that has a lower frequency of usage as compared to each of the plurality of operating members of the first operating member group. The plurality of operating members of the first operating member group are arranged in a first direction along a top face of the upper wall. The at least one different operating member is disposed, along with one of the plurality of operating members of the first operating member group, in a second direction that runs along the top face and that intersects with the first direction.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing; and

an operating unit provided on a tilted surface of the housing that is tilted relative to a bottom surface of the housing, the operating unit including a first operating member, a second operating member, and a spacer disposed in between the first operating member and the second operating member,

wherein the second operating member seamlessly surrounds the first operating member, and

the spacer is separate from and fixed to the housing while abutting each of the first operating member and the second operating member without being fixed to either of the first operating member and the second operating member, and

the spacer has different heights depending on a height of the tilted surface.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first operating member and the second operating member differ in function.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is disposed so as to surround the first operating member.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the spacer has a cylindrical portion.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first operating member is inserted in the spacer from a bottom of the spacer.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second operating member is disposed so as to surround spacer.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second operating member has a cylindrical portion.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cylindrical portion has a top face of an outer circumference thereof higher than a top face of the spacer and has a top face of an inner circumference thereof tilted to be lower in height toward the spacer.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein apparatus is a conference device configured to transmit and receive at least one of images and voice via a communication network.