Network accessible projectors that display multiple client screens at once

• US 9,122,444 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2012
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Findlay, Roland, Conescu, Ronald Marc, Yu, Haixia, McFarland, Max E., Griffin, Michael, Dautcher, Jay, Ihara, Yuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Ryan R
• Application Number:
  US13/369,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20130201209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: 715733-749, 348/744
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/06 Consumer Electronics Control, i.e. control of another device by a display or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for provisioning, via a projector, client software for accessing the projector from a network. The projector includes a light emitting unit that projects visible light representing image information onto a screen, a network interface, and a control unit. The control unit provides client software to network devices that enables the network devices to interact with the projector, receives input via the network interface from the client software operating on multiple network devices, processes the input from the client software to generate image information for the light emitting unit, and provides the generated image information to the light emitting unit for projection onto the screen.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a display operable to present image information to a user;

a network interface; and

a control unit operable to provide client software to network devices that enables the network devices to interact with the system,

the control unit further operable to receive input via the network interface from the client software operating on multiple network devices, to process the input from the client software to generate image information for the display, and to provide the generated image information to the display,

wherein the generated image information comprises multiple windows that each represent a screenshot of a network device operating the client software,

the system is a projector,

the display comprises a light emitting unit operable to project visible light representing image information onto a screen, and

the control unit is further operable to process the input from the client software to generate image information for the light emitting unit, and to provide the generated image information to the light emitting unit for projection onto the screen.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein

the light emitting unit utilizes one or more techniques selected from the group consisting of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) projection, Digital Light Processing (DLP) projection, Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) projection, Light Emitting Diode (LED) projection, and laser diode projection.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the control unit is further operable to process the input provided by the client software to identify image data that represents a screenshot, to scale and position the image data from the client software based upon a location and a size of a window for a network device operating the client software, and to populate the generated image information with the scaled and positioned image data.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein:

the control unit is further operable to receive input that comprises commands for altering at least one of the size and the location of a window.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein:

the control unit is further operable to detect that the client software at one of the multiple network devices has become idle, and to close a window for the idle client software.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the control unit is further operable to provide bootstrap software to the network devices that is operable to acquire the client software from the control unit, to provide the client software to a network device, and to remove the client software from the network device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:

the bootstrap software and the client software each comprise Java software.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the control unit is further operable to track a position of a pointing device along the screen, and to alter the image information projected onto the screen based on the position.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the pointing device provides functions for at least one of drawing on the screen, highlighting on the screen, and manipulating controls projected onto the screen.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the control unit is further operable to provide the generated image information to each network device operating the client software responsive to receiving a request indicated by the pointing device.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the control unit is further operable to instruct the light emitting unit to display a network address for the projector indicating a location from which the client software can be acquired.

12. A method comprising:

providing, via a network interface of a meeting system, client software to network devices that enables the network devices to interact with the meeting system,

receiving, via the network interface, input from client software operating on multiple network devices;

processing the input from the client software to generate image information for a display of the meeting system; and

presenting, via the display, the generated image information, wherein the generated image information comprises multiple windows that each represent a screenshot of a network device operating the client software, wherein

the meeting system is a projector;

the display comprises a light emitting unit operable to project visible light representing image information onto a screen;

processing the input from the client software comprises generating image information for the light emitting unit of the projector; and

presenting the generated image information comprises projecting, via the light emitting unit, visible light representing the generated image information onto a screen.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

presenting the generated image information is performed via one or more techniques selected from the group consisting of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) projection, Digital Light Processing (DLP) projection, Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) projection, Light Emitting Diode (LED) projection, and laser diode projection.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein:

processing the input comprises;

identifying image data that represents a screenshot;

scaling and positioning the image data from the client software based upon a location and a size of a window for a network device operating the client software; and

populating the generated image information with the scaled and positioned image data.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the input comprises commands for altering at least one of the size and the location of a window.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

detecting that the client software at one of the multiple network devices has become idle; and

closing a window for the idle client software.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein:

providing the client software comprises;

providing, via the network interface, bootstrap software to the network devices that is operable to acquire the client software from the projector and also to remove the client software; and

providing, responsive to receiving a request from bootstrap software operating on a network device, the client software to the network device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the bootstrap software and the client software each comprise Java software.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

tracking a position of a pointing device along the screen; and

altering the image information projected onto the screen based on the position.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying programmed instructions which, when executed by a processor, are operable for performing a method comprising:

providing, via a network interface of a meeting system, client software to network devices that enables the network devices to interact with the meeting system,

receiving, via the network interface, input from client software operating on multiple network devices;

processing the input from the client software to generate image information for a display of the meeting system; and

presenting, via the display, the generated image information, wherein the generated image information comprises multiple windows that each represent a screenshot of a network device operating the client software, wherein

the meeting system is a projector;

the display comprises a light emitting unit operable to project visible light representing image information onto a screen;

processing the input from the client software comprises generating image information for the light emitting unit of the projector; and

presenting the generated image information comprises projecting, via the light emitting unit, visible light representing the generated image information onto a screen.