Interactive display system

• US 5,448,263 A
• Filed: 10/21/1991
• Issued: 09/05/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Martin, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOON, GIN F
• Application Number:
  US07/780,052
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 340/712, 340/784 I, 340/707, 178/19, 178/18, 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/176, 345/177, 345/178, 345/179, 345/180, 345/182, 345/183
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/132 Overhead projectors, i.e. capable of projecting hand-writing or drawing during action epidiascopic projectors G03B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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

Abstract

An interactive display system comprising a touch sensitive display surface for sensing pressure applied thereto and in response generating control signals indicating locations of the applied pressure, a personal computer for receiving the control signals and in response generating graph images, and an LCD panel in combination with an overhead projector for receiving and projecting the graphic images onto the touch sensitive display surface at the indicated locations. The LCD panel and overhead projector may be provided an an integral unit.

Claims

1. An interactive display system, comprising:

a) a touch-sensitive display screen for sensing pressure applied thereto and in response generating control signals indicating locations of said applied pressure,

b) means for receiving said control signals and in response generating and projecting graphic images onto said touch sensitive display screen at said locations,

c) a computer for executing one or more applications programs in a multi-tasking environment and in response generating screen video displays, said computer being connected to said touch-sensitive display screen,

d) driver means in said computer for receiving said control signals and in response generating a command to a selected one of said applications programs for updating said screen video displays in accordance with said applied pressure to said touch-sensitive display screen,

e) projector means connected to said one or more computers for receiving and projecting said screen video displays onto said display screen, and

f) means for modifying location data in said command to thereby align said screen video displays with the location of said pressure applied to said display screen, wherein said command includes data for identifying horizontal and vertical coordinates of the location of said pressure applied to said display screen, and wherein said means for modifying comprises a software routine for generating via said projector means a plurality of alignment images onto said display screen at predetermined locations, detecting user applied pressure on said display screen at the respective locations of said images, and in response calibrating said horizontal and vertical coordinates to compensate for keystoning caused by planar misalignment between said projector means and said display screen.

2. The interactive display system of claim 1, wherein said touch-sensitive screen further comprises one or more coloured pens connected to said driver means, and means for detecting that any one of said one or more pens has been picked up, has touched said screen, and has dragged across said screen, and in response generating said command to said selected one of said applications programs for updating said screen video displays so as to depict script corresponding to said pressure applied to the screen thereby.

3. The interactive display system of claim 1, wherein said touch-sensitive screen further comprises an eraser connected to said driver means, and means for detecting that said eraser has been picked up, has touched said screen, and has dragged across said screen, and in response generating said command to said selected one of said applications programs for updating said screen video displays so as to delete portions of said screen video displays which are projected at locations corresponding to said pressure applied to the screen.

4. The interactive display system of claim 1, further comprising means for storing said screen video displays.

5. The interactive display system of claim 2, further comprising means for adjusting colour and line width characteristics of said script.

6. The interactive display system of claim 2, further comprising means for deleting said script from said screen video displays.