Method and apparatus for a collaborative meeting room system

• US 7,447,608 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: InFocus Corporation (Lap-Shun Hui, MBA)
• Inventors: Long, Paul, Kessler, Curt, Murtha, Steve, Dunn, Lorenzo, Poston, Rene, Slobodin, David Elliot
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramos-Feliciano, Eliseo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suarez, Felix
• Application Number:
  US10/259,371
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 702/56, 702/182, 702/183, 702/185, 702/188, 702/189, 702/177, 702/178, 702/187, 345/358, 345/863, 709/205, 715/762, 346/863
• US Class Current: 702/178
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a collaborative meeting room system. In response to user input, an electronic device starts a meeting timer to begin timing a meeting at which a previously-created meeting agenda is used. The electronic device causes a projection device to project a running meeting timer, as a result of starting the meeting timer. An agenda item included in the previously-created meeting agenda is retrieved, as a result of starting the meeting timer. The electronic device causes the projection device to project meeting minutes for the agenda item, as a result of retrieving the agenda item.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a user input;

after receiving the user input, starting a running meeting timer to begin timing a meeting at which a previously-created meeting agenda is used, the running meeting timer being started in response to user input;

after starting the running meeting timer, causing a projection device to project the running meeting timer, the running meeting timer being projected as a result of starting the meeting timer and providing a dynamic indication of an elapsed meeting duration;

after starting the running meeting timer, retrieving an agenda item included in the previously-created meeting agenda, the agenda item being retrieved as a result of starting the running meeting timer; and

after retrieving the agenda item, causing a projection device to project meeting minutes for the agenda item, the meeting minutes being projected as a result of retrieving the agenda item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input to stop timing the meeting;

after receiving the user input, stopping the running meeting timer to end timing the meeting, the running meeting timer being stopped as a result of the user input; and

after stopping the running meeting timer, saving the meeting minutes, the meeting minutes being saved as a result of stopping the meeting timer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

starting a running agenda timer to begin timing the agenda item after retrieving the agenda item, the running agenda timer being started as a result of retrieving the agenda item;

after starting the running agenda timer, causing the projection device to display the running agenda timer, the running agenda timer being displayed as a result of starting the running agenda timer; and

ending the running agenda timer to end timing the agenda item, as a result of receiving an indication to stop timing the agenda item.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving an indication to stop timing the agenda item comprises receiving user input to retrieve another agenda item.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a meeting agenda based on user input.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein creating a meeting agenda based on user input comprises:

causing a user interface to display an agenda item field for receiving user input identifying the agenda item; and

causing the user interface to display a time field for receiving user input identifying an amount of time for the agenda item.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

causing the user interface to display an agenda type field for receiving user input identifying an agenda type of the agenda item.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

causing the projection device to project a user interface associated with the agenda type after retrieving the agenda item, the user interface being projected as a result of retrieving the agenda item.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the agenda type comprises a brainstorming agenda type.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the agenda type comprises a voting agenda type.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

causing the user interface to display a link field for receiving user input identifying a link related to the agenda item.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

launching the link, as a result of retrieving the agenda item.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

causing the projection device to project the link.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input attempting to log in;

determining whether a user is authorized to log in;

logging in the user, if the user is authorized to log in;

after logging in the user, retrieving meeting-ready information associated with the meeting, the meeting-ready information being retrieved as a result of logging in the user; and

after retrieving the meeting-ready information, causing the projection device to project the meeting-ready information, the meeting-ready information being projected as a result of retrieving the meeting-ready information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the meeting-ready information comprises:

a meeting title; and

a meeting date.

16. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-accessible medium including thereon sequences of instructions that, when executed, cause an electronic system to;

start a running meeting timer to begin timing a meeting at which a previously-created meeting agenda is used, in response to user input;

after starting the running meeting timer, cause a projection device to project the running meeting timer, the running meeting timer being projected as a result of starting the running meeting timer;

after starting the running meeting timer, retrieve an agenda item included in the previously-created meeting agenda, the agenda item being retrieved as a result of starting the running meeting timer; and

after retrieving the agenda item, cause a projection device to project meeting minutes for the agenda item, the meeting minutes being projected as a result of retrieving the agenda item.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the machine-accessible medium further comprises sequences of instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic system to:

receive user input to stop timing the meeting;

stop the running meeting timer to end timing the meeting; and

after stopping the running meeting timer, save the meeting minutes, the meeting minutes being saved as a result of stopping the timer.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the machine-accessible medium further comprises sequences of instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic system to:

after retrieving the agenda item, start a running agenda timer to begin timing the agenda item, the agenda item being timed as another result of retrieving the agenda item; and

after retrieving the agenda item, cause the projection device to display the running agenda timer, the running agenda timer being displayed as a result of starting the running agenda timer.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the sequences of instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic system to end the agenda timer to end timing the agenda item, as the result of receiving an indication to stop timing the agenda item, comprise sequences of instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic system to end timing the agenda item, as a result of receiving user input to retrieve another agenda item.

20. A method, comprising:

after receiving user input, starting a running meeting timer to begin timing a meeting at which a previously-created meeting agenda is used, the running meeting timer being started in response to user input;

after starting the running meeting timer, projecting a running meeting timer, the running meeting timer being projected as a result of starting the running meeting timer;

after starting the running meeting timer, retrieving an agenda item included in the previously-created meeting agenda, the agenda item being retrieved as a result of starting the running meeting timer; and

after retrieving the agenda item, projecting meeting minutes for the agenda item, the meeting minutes being projected as a result of retrieving the agenda item.

21. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-accessible medium including thereon sequences of instructions that, when executed, cause a projection device to;

start a running meeting timer to begin timing a meeting at which a previously-created meeting agenda is used after receiving a user input, the running meeting timer being started in response to user input;

after starting the running meeting timer, project the running meeting timer, the running meeting timer being projected as a result of starting the running meeting timer;

after starting the running meeting timer, retrieve an agenda item included in the previously-created meeting agenda, the agenda item being retrieved as a result of starting the running meeting timer; and

after retrieving the agenda item, project meeting minutes for the agenda item, the meeting minutes being projected as a result of retrieving the agenda item.

22. A method, comprising:

receiving a previously-created meeting agenda including a plurality of meeting topics;

receiving a user input to start a running meeting timer associated with the previously-created meeting agenda;

after receiving user input, starting the running meeting timer, the running meeting timer being started in response to receiving the user input;

after starting the running meeting timer, automatically causing a projection device to project the running meeting timer;

after receiving the user input, automatically retrieving a first of the plurality of meeting topics;

after retrieving the first of the plurality of meeting topics, automatically causing the projection device to project a running topic timer corresponding to the first of the plurality of meeting topics, and

after retrieving the first of the plurality of meeting topics, automatically causing the projection device to project an editable field for maintaining a written account of the first of the plurality of meeting topics.