Interactive communication systems

• US 8,723,815 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Hildebrandt, Peter W., Hutchinson, Ian G., Watson, James D., Dunn, Michael H., Hofmann, Neal A., Wilson, Scott E., Anderson, Brent W., Ashford, Louis, Meissner, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, VINH TANG
• Application Number:
  US12/830,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20100275132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 345/177, 345/173, 715/752
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

The present invention includes interactive communication systems that incorporate several beneficial embodiments including an interactive tray system, an electronic presentation messaging system, an interactive podium, and a key drive system. The interactive tray system enables a single, transferable interactive unit to be fastened to a communication medium, turning into a fully interactive medium. The electronic presentation messaging system enables the e-mailing of presentations and notes to and from components of the interactive communication system. The interactive podium increases conventional podium mobility, enabling both the presenter, and podium, to move and be moved about the room without attention to wired connections. The key drive system replaces the conventional Y-connector of the key drive technology by effectively integrating the key drive in the device, thus only having one connector, and eliminating the need to change connectors from the key drive, to the USB connector, upon software driver loading.

Claims

1. An interactive communication system comprising:

a first display board adapted to display a presentation;

a notation capture system adapted to, during display of the presentation, sense an instrument in proximity to the first display board, the notation capture system determining one or more locations of the instrument relative to the first display board and interpreting the locations as notations to the presentation;

a projector configured to project a digital representation of the notations onto the first display board; and

a messaging system configured to;

before display of the presentation, receive, at the messaging system, an incoming message comprising one or more electronic files embodying the presentation, wherein the incoming message is directed by a sender to the first display board; and

after display of the presentation, transmit an outgoing message comprising the one or more electronic files along with the generated notations, the messaging system configured to transmit the one or more electronic files and generated notations automatically in response to determining display of the presentation has concluded.

2. The interactive communication system of claim 1, associated with a predetermined, static communications address to which the incoming message is sent by the sender.

3. The interactive communication system of claim 1, the messaging system integrated with the first display board, and the first display board associated with a predetermined, static communications address to which the incoming message is sent by the sender.

4. The interactive communication system of claim 1, the notation capture system comprising:

the instrument, configured to transmit a signal indicative of the locations of the instrument with respect to the first display board; and

a processing device in communication with the instrument, and configured to translate the locations of the instrument into operations performed on the first display board.

5. The interactive communication system of claim 1, further comprising an image capture system configured to capture one or more images of objects presented on the first display board, wherein the messaging system is configured to transmit the images.

6. The interactive communication system of claim 3, the static communications address being an email address, and the messaging system further configured to receive email messages directed to the display board.

7. The interactive communication system of claim 1, further comprising a scheduling system configured to receive a presentation request and to automatically reserve the first display board for the presentation based on the presentation request, the first display board being chosen from a plurality of display boards, the presentation request comprising:

an electronic presentation; and

a list of attendees associated with the presentation request;

wherein the messaging system is configured to transmit the electronic presentation to the first display board automatically in response to selection of the first display board by the scheduling system.

8. The interactive communication system of claim 7, the messaging system being further configured to automatically transmit a plurality of digital notations of the presentation to the attendees associated with the presentation request at the conclusion of the presentation.

9. The interactive communication system of claim 7, the scheduling system further configured to invite the list of the attendees to attend the display of the presentation.

10. The interactive communication system of claim 1, the incoming message being an email message, the one or more electronic files being attachments to the email message.

11. An interactive communication system comprising:

a first display board adapted to display a presentation;

a notation capture system adapted to, during display of the presentation, sense an instrument in proximity to the first display board, the notation capture system determining one or more locations of the instrument relative to the first display board and interpreting the locations as notations to the presentation;

a projector configured to project a digital representation of the notations onto the first display board;

a messaging system configured to;

before display of the presentation, receive, at the messaging system, an incoming message comprising one or more electronic files embodying the presentation, wherein the incoming message is directed by a sender to the first display board; and

after ending display of the presentation, send an outgoing message comprising the one or more electronic files along with the generated notations; and

a scheduling system in communication with the messaging system and configured to receive scheduling information for the interactive communication system, wherein the messaging system transmits the one or more electronic files to a selected location for display of the presentation.

12. The interactive communication system of claim 11, the scheduling system configured to receive a list of one or more parties associated with the presentation, and the messaging system automatically transmitting the notations to each of the individual parties associated with the presentation.

13. The interactive communication system of claim 11, the scheduling system comprising a web server for receiving the scheduling information over the web.