Electronic whiteboard system eraser

• US 6,445,384 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Polyvision Corporation (Steelcase Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Greensteel, Inc. (Steelcase Incorporated)
• Inventors: Geaghan, Bernard, Atwood, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOW, DOON Y
• Application Number:
  US08/941,638
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18-1-, 178/19-1-, 345/173-180, 345/156, 345/157, 341/22, 341/31, 341/32, 341/33
• US Class Current: 345/179
• 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 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An eraser for use on an electronic whiteboard with a protrusion area on the erasing surface forming a convex area on the erasing surface for establishing a positive point of contact with the whiteboard; an electronic whiteboard system including such an eraser, a controller for storing data relating to information written on and erased from the whiteboard data, and a filter for preventing the storage of digital data relating to contacts with the whiteboard not attributable to normal writing or erasing actions.

Claims

1. An eraser for use on a flexible membrane electronic whiteboard, said eraser comprising:

an eraser body portion having a flat surface;

at least one member protruding from said flat surface; and

an erasing surface on said flat surface covering said protruding member.

2. The eraser of claim 1, wherein the protruding member is in recess of said flat surface.

3. The eraser of claim 1, wherein the protruding member is nipple-shaped.

4. The eraser of claim 1, wherein the protruding member is centrally located in said flat surface.

5. The eraser of claim 1, wherein the protruding member has surface area substantially less than the surface area of the erasing surface.

6. The eraser of claim 1, wherein said flat surface is circular.

7. The eraser of claim 1, wherein said erasing surface covers said flat surface and said protruding member.

8. The eraser of claim 1, further comprising a hollow-fill layer between said flat surface and said erasing surface.

9. The eraser of claim 1, wherein said erasing surface covers the entire flat surface.

10. The eraser of claim 6, wherein the diameter of said flat surface is about three inches.

11. A method for simultaneously erasing physical and electronic indicia on a flexible membrane electronic whiteboard, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) contacting a first area of a flexible membrane electronic whiteboard to be erased with an eraser, wherein said eraser body portion has a flat surface, at least one member protruding from said flat surface, and an erasing surface on said flat surface covering said protruding member;

(b) communicating a positive eraser position upon contact of said eraser with a first area of said electronic whiteboard;

(c) maintaining pressure on said eraser in contact with said electronic whiteboard while moving said eraser to a second area of said electronic whiteboard, and

(d) simultaneously erasing physical and electronic indicia from said electronic whiteboard.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

filtering errant data not associated with erasing functions.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said filtering is based on using predetermined velocity values to distinguish between writing velocity and erasing velocity.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said erasing velocity value is greater than said writing velocity value.

15. An electronic whiteboard erasing system for an electronic whiteboard system having a digitizer with a flexible membrane writing surface capable of sensing changes in applied pressure comprising:

(a) a computer adapted to be communicatively connected to said digitizer;

said computer capable processing changes in applied pressure on the flexible membrane to delimit an area to be erased and capable of erasing electronic data associated with said delimited area; and

(b) an eraser for simultaneously erasing physical and electronic indicia, wherein said physical and electronic indicia are identified when said eraser contacts said writing surface, said eraser body portion has a flat surface, at least one member protruding from said flat surface, and an erasing surface on said flat surface covering said protruding member.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said computer is capable of executing instructions to distinguish between erasing data and writing data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein erasing data and writing data are distinguished using predetermined velocity values.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the velocity value for erasing data is greater than the velocity value of writing data.