Control apparatus and method for sharing information in a collaborative workspace

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9254035-B2
Application number	US-201414293140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2014
Priority date	Oct 12, 2007
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A cable assembly for use in an opening formed in a table top, the cable assembly comprising a substantially horizontal deck member, the deck member forming a plurality of cable passing openings, each cable passing opening dimensioned to freely pass the intermediate portion of a cable, a separate cable passing through each of the cable passing openings, each cable having a distal end located at a height below the deck member and a proximal end located at a height above the deck member, the proximal end for linking to a video source device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An table assembly for use with at least one common display, the table assembly comprising:
a switching device linked to the common display, the switching device including at least one output linked to the common display and a plurality of inputs, the switching device controllable to link the switching device inputs to the at least one common display;
a table top member having a flat top surface and a downwardly facing undersurface, the top member forming a table top opening between the top surface and the undersurface;
a support structure supporting the table top member with the top surface substantially horizontally oriented;
a deck assembly mounted to the top member adjacent the opening, the deck assembly including a deck member below and aligned with the table top opening, the deck member forming a substantially horizontal top surface spaced below the table top opening and an undersurface and forming a plurality of cable passing openings that pass through the deck member from the top surface of the deck member through to the undersurface of the deck member; and
a separate control cable for each of the cable passing openings, each control cable including proximal and distal ends, each distal end linked to a different one of the inputs on the switching device, each proximal end including a connector for connecting to a source device, each control cable passing through one of the cable passing openings so that the proximal end resides above the cable passing opening and the distal end resides at a height below the deck member, each control cable having a length between the proximal and distal ends such that the proximal end of the cable can be moved between a stowed position with the proximal end proximate the top surface of the deck member and below the top surface of the table top member and an extended position in which the proximal end is pulled through the table top opening into a use position where the connector at the proximal end can be linked to a source device.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein a portion of each control cable resides below the deck member when the control cable is in the stowed position and the portion of each control cable is above the deck member when the control cable is in the use position.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each control cable further includes a housing proximate the proximal end and a control button for controlling the switching device mounted within the housing, the housing including a structural element that forms an external surface and that forms an internal cavity, the external surface of the housing having dimensions greater than the dimensions of the cable passing opening that an associated control cable passes through so that the deck member prohibits movement of the housing through the cable passing opening.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein each cable passing opening has a diameter dimension and each housing has dimensions larger than the diameter dimension of the control cable so that when a control cable is in the stowed position, the housing resides on the top surface of the deck member.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein each button includes a control interface for controlling the switching device.

6. The assembly of claim 1 further including a control assembly connected to the table assembly for controlling the switching device, the control assembly including separate control buttons linked to each of the control cables, each control button selectable to provide control signals to the switching device to control content presented on the common display.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the common display is a first common display, the table assembly also for use with a second common display, the switching device controllable to link switching device inputs to each of the first and second common displays, each control assembly including first and second control buttons for controlling the switching device to present content from a source device linked to an associated control cable on the first and second common displays, respectively.

8. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the control assembly includes touch sensitive control buttons.

9. The assembly of claim 6 wherein, when a source device including a display screen is linked to a first control cable and content is presented on the source device display screen, the control button associated with the first control cable is selectable to control the switching device to toggle between replicating the content from the source device display screen on the at least one common display and removing the content from the device display screen from the at least one common display, the content from the source device display screen provided to the switching device via the control cable linked to the source device.

10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the control assembly further includes an indicator for each of the control buttons, each indicator controlled to indicate three separate states including a first state when no source device is linked to an associated control cable, a second state when a source device is linked to an associated control cable and the content from the source device display is not replicated on the at least one common display and a third state when a source device is linked to an associated control cable and the content from the source device display is replicated on the at least one common display.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the control assembly is attached to the table assembly.

12. The assembly of claim 11 wherein the control assembly includes a separate control interface for each of the control cables, each control interface connected to an associated control cable.

13. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the control assembly includes at least one flat top surface member that is touch sensitive where at least one control button is formed at a location on the flap top surface member.

14. The assembly of claim 10 further including a door member mounted proximate the table top opening and moveable between a closed position in which the door member substantially closes at least a portion of the opening and an open position in which the door member allows access to the opening.

15. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the connectors at the proximal ends of the control cables are located between the top surface of the deck member and an undersurface of the door member when the control cables are in the stowed positions and the door member is in the closed position.

16. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the door member is hinged for movement between the closed and open positions.

17. The assembly of claim 14 further including electrical receptacles mounted within the table top opening adjacent the top surface of the deck member for access through the table top opening.

18. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the table top opening is substantially centrally located within the table top member.

19. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the cable passing openings are separate cable passing openings.

20. The assembly of claim 1 further including a door member mounted proximate the table top opening and moveable between a closed position in which the door member substantially closes at least a portion of the opening and an open position in which the door member allows access through the opening.

21. The assembly of claim 20 wherein the connectors at the proximal ends of the control cables are located between the top surface of the deck member and an undersurfac

Assignees

• Steelcase Inc

Inventors

• Epstein Lewis
• Kincaid Brett
• Yoo Hyun
• Stage Suzanne
• Scherrer Lukas
• Cheng Larry

Classifications

• H04N5/268

  Signal distribution or switching · CPC title

• H04N7/183

  for receiving images from a single remote source · CPC title

• H04N7/152

  Multipoint control units therefor · CPC title

• H04N7/142

  Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display · CPC title

• H04N7/15 Primary

  Conference systems · CPC title