Portable presentation system and methods for use therewith

• US 9,727,207 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steelcase Incorporated
• Inventors: Hutchinson, Ian G, Dunn, Michael H, Hildebrandt, Peter W
• Primary Examiner(s): SHENG, TOM V
• Application Number:
  US15/417,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20170139570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 193 Days
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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: G09B 5/067 Combinations of audio and projected visual presentation, e.g. film, slides
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/08 providing for individual presentation of information to a plurality of student stations
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3102 using two-dimensional electronic spatial light modulators micromechanical modulators as such G02B26/0833; liquid crystal modulators as such G02F1/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 : Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3197 : using light modulating optical valves

Abstract

A distributed digital content collaboration method and system, the method comprising the steps of storing collaboration session data for at least one collaboration session, the collaboration data including data objects displayable on display surfaces, identifying unused display surfaces associated a collaboration system, sending display identifiers to at least a subset of the unused display surfaces, wherein the display identifiers are presented on the display surfaces as display identification codes for associated surfaces, receiving user input via a user interface identifying at least one of the display identifiers associated with a first display surface, determining that the identified display identifier matches the display identifier sent to the first display surface and, in response to the determination, configuring the first display surface with the processor to facilitate content collaboration.

Claims

1. A system supporting distributed digital content collaboration, the system comprising:

at least a first electronic display that provides display surface;

a computer system having a user interface, a processor and a database linked to the processor, the database storing collaboration session data for at least one collaboration session, the collaboration data including data objects displayable on display surfaces, the processor linkable to the at least a first electronic display and programmed to perform the steps of;

identifying unused display surfaces including a first display surface on at least a portion of the first electronic display;

sending an identifier to each of the unused display surfaces, wherein the identifiers are presented on the display surfaces as display identification codes for associated surfaces, the identifiers including a first identifier associated with the first display surface;

receiving user input via the user interface indicating at least the first identifier;

determining that the received identifier matches the first identifier sent to the first display surface; and

in response to the determination, configuring the first display surface to cooperate with the processor to facilitate content collaboration.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further programmed to perform the steps of detecting user input from the user interface indicating a specific collaboration session and distributing session data associated with the specific collaboration session to the first display surface for presentation.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the system includes a plurality of electronic displays and wherein each of the electronic displays presents an independent display surface.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the processor identifies unused display surface on each of the plurality of displays and sends unique identifiers to each of the unused display surfaces for presentation on those surfaces.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein at least a second display surface is remotely located from the first display surface and wherein a second user interface is useable to associate the second display surface with the specific collaboration session, the processor further programmed to distribute the session data associated with the specific collaboration session to the second display surface for simultaneous presentation of the session data on the first and second display surfaces.

6. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

at least a second display surface that is remotely located from the first display surface; and

a second user interface useable to associate the second display surface with the specific collaboration session,

wherein the session data associated with the specific collaboration session is distributed to the second display surface, and

wherein the session data is presented on the second display surface simultaneously with presentation of the session data on the first display surface.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the display identifiers persist on the display surfaces after the first display surface is configured to facilitate content collaboration.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further programmed to receive user input identifying more than one display identifier and wherein the processor configures the display surfaces associated with each display identifier indicated via the user interface with the processor to facilitate multi-surface content collaboration.

9. The system of claim 1 including receiving the user input identifying at least one display identifier from a device other than the first display surface.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the device other than the first display surface includes a hand held portable device.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the display surfaces includes an independent display device with an independent display surface.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the data objects include application windows.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the data objects include annotations added to a display surface.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least a first electronic display includes an electronic whiteboard.

15. The system of claim 1 for use with a plurality of electronic displays, each electronic display presenting at least one display surface, the processor further programmed to perform the steps of presenting a distinct display identifier on each of the plurality of display surfaces, receiving user input via the user interface indicating at least a subset of the display identifiers, determining that the received identifiers match a subset of the identifiers presented on the display surfaces and, in response to the determination, configuring the display surfaces associated with the received identifiers to cooperate with the processor to present content to a user.

16. A distributed digital content collaboration method comprising the steps of:

storing collaboration session data for at least one collaboration session, the collaboration session data including data objects displayable on display surfaces;

identifying unused display surfaces associated a collaboration system;

sending display identifiers to at least a subset of the unused display surfaces, wherein the display identifiers are presented on the unused display surfaces as display identification codes for associated unused display surfaces;

receiving user input via a user interface identifying at least one of the display identifiers associated with a first display surface;

determining that the identified display identifier matches the display identifier sent to the first display surface; and

in response to the determination, configuring the first display surface with a processor to facilitate content collaboration.

17. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of detecting user input from the user interface indicating a specific collaboration session and distributing session data associated with the specific collaboration session to the first display surface for presentation.

18. The method of claim 17 for use with a plurality of electronic displays, each of the electronic displays presenting at least a one independent display surface.

19. The method of claim 18 further including the steps of identifying unused display surface on each of the plurality of displays and sending unique identifiers to each of the unused display surfaces for presentation on those surfaces.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of presenting the display identifiers on the display surfaces includes persistently presenting the display identifiers on the display surfaces after the first display surface is configured to facilitate content collaboration.

21. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of receiving user input identifying more than one display identifier and configuring the display surfaces associated with each display identifier indicated via the user interface with to facilitate multi-surface content collaboration.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of receiving the user input identifying at least one display identifier includes receiving the user input identifying at least one display identifier from a device other than the first display surface.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the step of receiving the user input identifying at least one display identifier includes receiving the user input from a hand held portable device.

24. The method of claim 16 for use with a plurality of independent display devices, each independent display device including an independent display surface, the step of identifying unused display surfaces including identifying a plurality of the independent display devices.

25. A system supporting distributed digital content presentation, the system comprising:

at least a first electronic display that provides at least a first display surface;

a computer system having a user interface, a processor and a database linked to the processor, the processor linkable to the at least a first electronic display and programmed to perform the steps of;

presenting a display identifier on the at least a first display surface;

receiving user input via a user interface indicating at least the first identifier;

determining that the received identifier matches the first identifier presented on the first display surface; and

in response to the determination, configuring the first display surface to cooperate with the processor to present content to a user.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the first display surface comprises substantially an entire surface of the first electronic display.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the identifier includes a number and wherein the step of receiving includes receiving the number associated with the first display surface.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the processor is programmed to further perform the steps of presenting distinct numbers on a plurality of display surfaces, receiving at least first and second numbers corresponding to the first display surface and at least a second display surface via the interface and configuring the first and second display surfaces to cooperate with the processor to present content on each of the first and second display surfaces to a user.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the interface further enables movement of content between the display surfaces.

30. The system of claim 25 wherein the interface is provided via an interface device that is independent of the at least a first display surface.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface device includes a touch sensitive display screen and wherein the interface provides tools for annotating content presented on the touch sensitive display screen.

32. The system of claim 25 wherein the processor is programmed to further perform the steps of presenting distinct display identifiers on a plurality of display surfaces, receiving at least first and second display identifiers corresponding to the first display surface and at least a second display surface via the interface and configuring the first and second display surfaces to cooperate with the processor to present content on each of the first and second display surfaces to a user.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the interface further enables movement of content between the display surfaces.

34. The system of claim 32 wherein the interface is provided via an interface device that is independent of the at least a first display surface.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the interface device includes a touch sensitive display screen and wherein the interface provides tools for annotating content presented on the touch sensitive display screen.

36. The system of claim 25 wherein the first display surface is associated with a specific collaboration session, the system including at least a second display surface is remotely located from the first display surface and wherein a second user interface is useable to associate the second display surface with the specific collaboration session, the processor further programmed to distribute session data associated with the specific collaboration session to the second display surface for simultaneous presentation of the session data on the first and second display surfaces.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein changes to the content presented on the first display surface are replicated on the second display surface and wherein changes to content presented on the second display surface are replicated on the first display surface.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein changes to content presented on the first and second display surfaces may include annotations.

39. The system of claim 37 wherein the content presented on the first and second display surfaces includes data objects and wherein changes to content presented on the first and second display surfaces may include data object selection and movement.

40. The system of claim 25 wherein the first electronic display is located in a conference space, the system further including a second electronic display located in the conference space, the user interface including at least a portion of a second display surface presented via the second electronic display.

41. The system of claim 25 wherein the display identifier persists on the first display surface after the first display surface is configured to present content to a user.

42. The system of claim 25 wherein the user interface is independent of the first display surface.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein the user interface includes a hand held portable device.

44. The system of claim 25 wherein at least a subset of the content includes data objects.

45. The system of claim 44 wherein at least a subset of the data objects include application windows.

46. The system of claim 44 wherein at least a subset of the data objects include annotations added to a display surface.