System and method for electronic presentations with annotation of preview material

• US 7,454,708 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Learning Box LLC
• Original Assignee: The Learning Box LLC
• Inventors: Diehl, Stacy, Smith, Sean Dare, O'Neal, David Sheldon, Ackerman, Stuart, Lockwood, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Bautista; X. L.
• Application Number:
  US11/188,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20060048058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 715/702, 715716-719, 715/723, 715/730, 715/732, 715/740, 715/744, 715/751, 715/753, 715/764, 715/765, 715/778, 715/781, 715/810, 715/970, 715/500, 715/512, 715/200, 715/230
• US Class Current: 715/730
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

An electronic presentation system and method provides multiple display screens for presentation materials as well as permits dynamic annotations to presentation materials that do not permanently alter the presentation materials. In a multi-windowed display interface, a currently displayed slide or the next-to-display slide can be easily annotated or otherwise modified. Thus, the presentation materials can easily be directed to any one of the display screens and any annotations can be saved for future use or simply deleted.

Claims

1. A method for providing an electronic presentation of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, comprising the steps of:

providing a presentation control interface on a center display screen;

displaying a slide, from among the plurality of slides, in a preview window within the presentation control interface;

receiving input via the presentation control interface indicating whether to direct the slide to a right display screen or a left display screen;

dispatching the slide for display on the indicated display screen;

displaying simultaneously with the slide in the preview window within the presentation control interface, a first window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the right display screen and a second window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the left display screen, and

before dispatching the slide for display, adding one or more annotations to the slide.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of adding one or more annotations includes the step of marking the slide to indicate the slide is to be revised.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the one or more annotations are visible within the preview window but are invisible on the indicated display screen after the slide is dispatched for display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the one or more annotations are visible within the preview window and are visible on the indicated display screen after the slide is dispatched for display.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

adding an additional annotation to the slide after the slide is dispatched for display.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

outputting the slide as right-side video data if the slide is dispatched to the right display screen; and

outputting the slide as left-side video data if the slide is directed to the left display screen;

selecting one of the first window and second window via the presentation control interface;

receiving input from a device located remotely from the presentation control interfaces;

adjusting the right-side video data based on the received input, if the selected window corresponds to the right display screen; and

adjusting the left-side video data based on the received input, if the selected window corresponds to the left display screen.

7. A system providing electronic presentations comprising:

a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by a programmable computer;

a first display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a first video input signal;

a second display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a second video input signal;

a third display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a third video input signal;

a presentation control application stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer; and

the programmable computer being configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by which each of the plurality of slides is dispatched for display to either one of the first or second display screens, wherein said interface is configured to simultaneously display;

a first window displaying a first image corresponding to the first video input signal,

a second window displaying a second image corresponding to the second video signal, and

a third window displaying an image of a next presentation slide;

the presentation control application further configured to modify the next presentation slide based on input received from an input device in communication with the programmable computer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the input indicates the next presentation slide is to be revised.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the input includes one or more annotations to add to the next presentation slide.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least some of the one or more annotations are visible within the interface but invisible when the next presentation slide is dispatched for display to one of the display screens.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein at least some of the one or more annotations are visible within the interface and when the next presentation slide is dispatched for display to one of the display screens.

12. A method for providing an electronic presentation of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, comprising the steps of:

providing a presentation control interface on a center display screen;

displaying a slide, from among the plurality of slides, in a preview window within the presentation control interface;

receiving input via the presentation control interface indicating whether to direct the slide to a right display screen or a left display screen;

dispatching the slide for display on the indicated display screen;

in a first operating mode, displaying simultaneously with the slide in the preview window within the presentation control interface, a first window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the right display screen and a second window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the left display screen, and

providing a set of annotation tools within the presentation control interface configured to modify a selected slide within any of the preview window, the first window, and the second window.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein using the set of annotation tools is configured to add a plurality of annotations to the selected slide.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, the set of annotation tools is configured to select more than one of the annotations.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of annotation tools is configured to delete more than one of the plurality of annotations.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of annotation tools is configured to move more than one of the plurality of annotations.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of annotation tools is configured to successively delete the annotations from the selected slide and to optionally restore one or more of the deleted annotations to the selected slide in reverse order of deletion.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of annotation tools comprises at least two different tools to highlight portions of the selected slide.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of annotation tools includes two, opposite facing arrows that are movably displayed on the selected slide.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of annotation tools includes a tool configured to drawing an arrow on the selected slide.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the tool for drawing an arrow is further configured to associate an editable text window with the arrow.

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

based on the received input, simultaneously dispatching the slide for display on both the right display screen and the left display screen.

23. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

opening an editable page in one of the preview window, the first window, or the second window;

receiving additional input via the presentation control interface indicating a label to associate with the editable page; and

storing the editable page in a format accessible by the presentation control interface.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of storing further includes the steps of:

selecting a format type from among a plurality of formats; and

converting the editable page into the selected format type.

25. The method of claim 12, wherein a first PDF slide is displayed in the first window and a second PDF slide is displayed in the second window.

26. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

in a second operating mode, displaying within the presentation control interface a substantially full screen display of one of the first window or the second window; and

receiving input to switch between the first and second operating modes, wherein in either operating mode, a plurality of interface elements available to a user via the presentation control interface are presented in a substantially similar location and arrangement.

27. A system providing electronic presentations comprising:

a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by a programmable computer;

a first display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a first video input signal;

a second display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a second video input signal;

a third display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a third video input signal;

a presentation control application stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer; and

the programmable computer being configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by which each of the plurality of slides is dispatched for display to one of the first or second display screens, wherein, in a first operating mode, said interface is configured to simultaneously display;

a first window displaying a first image corresponding to the first video input signal for a first slide,

a second window displaying a second image corresponding to the second video signal for a second slide, and

a third window displaying an image of a next presentation slide;

the presentation control application further configured to provide within the interface a set of annotations tools for modifying a selected slide from among the first slide, the second slide, and the next presentation slide.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the set of annotation tools is configured to select and operate on more than one annotation at a time.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the interface is further configured to simultaneously dispatch a particular slide to display on both the first and second display screens.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein, in a second operating mode, the interface is configured to display a substantially full screen display of one of the first window or the second window such that in either operating mode, a plurality of interface elements available to a user via the interface are presented in a substantially similar location and arrangement.