Personal control apparatus and method for sharing information in a collaborative workspace

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9456686-B2
Application number	US-201514862389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2015
Priority date	Oct 12, 2007
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

A system comprising a switching device linked to a common display screen and including a wireless receiver configured to receive content, the switching device configured to use the received content to drive the common display screen and a plurality of interface devices, each interface device including an interface housing, an interface device processor, a control button mounted within the housing and a plug linked to the housing via a cable, the plug receivable within a connection port of a computing device, a first interface device including a first device processor, a first plug and a first control button, the first processor configured to perform the steps of, with the first plug received in the connection port of the first computing device and first content presented on the first display screen while other content is presented on the common display screen, detecting selection of the first control button and, upon detecting selection of the first control button, causing a wireless transmission to the switching device, upon receiving the wireless transmission, the switching device presenting the content from the first computing device display screen on the common display screen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for use with a common display screen and a plurality of portable computing devices including a first computing device, each computing device including a connection port and a device display screen, the first computing device including a first display screen, the system for controlling content presented on the common display screen, the system comprising:
a switching device linked to the common display screen and including a wireless receiver configured to receive content, the switching device configured to use the received content to drive the common display screen; and
a plurality of interface devices, each interface device including an interface housing, an interface device processor, a control button mounted within the housing and a plug linked to the housing via a cable, the plug receivable within the connection port of one of the computing devices, each interface device processor configured to perform similar processes, a first interface device including a first device processor, a first plug and a first control button, the first processor configured to perform the steps of, with the first plug received in the connection port of the first computing device and first content presented on the first display screen while other content is presented on the common display screen, detecting selection of the first control button and, upon detecting selection of the first control button, causing a wireless transmission to the switching device;
wherein, upon receiving the wireless transmission, the switching device presents the content from the first computing device display screen on the common display screen.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each connection port is a USB port and each plug is a USB plug.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein, with content presented on the first computing device display screen while other content is presented on the common display screen, upon selection of the first control button, the first device processor is configured to cause the first computing device to wirelessly transmit the first content to the switching device.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first device processor is further configured to, while the first content is presented on the common display screen, detect a next selection of the first control button and, upon detection of the next selection of the first control button, cause the switching device to remove the first content from the common display screen.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein a second interface device includes a second device processor, a second plug and a second control button, the second processor configured to perform the steps of, with the second plug received in the connection port of a second computing device that includes a second display screen and second content presented on the second display screen while other content is presented on the common display screen, detecting selection of the second control button and, upon detecting selection of the second control button, causing a wireless transmission to the switching device;
wherein, upon receiving the wireless transmission from the second computing device, the switching device presents the content on the second computing device display screen on the common display screen adjacent the first content.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the switching device enables content from four computing devices to be presented on the common display screen at the same time.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein, with the first and second content presented on the display screen at the same time, upon detecting a next selection of the second control button, the second processor causing transmission of a wireless signal to the switching device causing the switching device to remove the second content from the common display screen while continuing to present the first content on the common display screen.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein each interface device includes at least one illumination device controllable to indicate at least first and second states including a first state when the interface device is plugged into a computing device connection port and content on the display screen of the computing device is not presented on the common display screen and a second state when the interface device is plugged into a computing device connection port and content on the display screen of the computing device is presented on the common display screen.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the first and second states are indicated via different color illumination.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the each interface device includes at least partially flat top and bottom surfaces and wherein the control button is circular and forms a portion of the flat top surface of the interface device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein each illumination device includes an illumination ring that circumscribes the circular button on an associated interface device.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein each illumination ring is circular.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein each cable is flexible.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the bottom surface of each interface device rests on an ambient surface when an associated connection plug is inserted into a connection port of one of the computing devices.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein a second interface device includes a second device processor, a second plug and a second control button, the second processor configured to perform the steps of, with the second plug received in the connection port of a second computing device that includes a second display screen and second content presented on the second display screen while other content is presented on the common display screen, detecting selection of the second control button and, upon detecting selection of the second control button, causing a wireless transmission to the switching device;
wherein, upon receiving the wireless transmission from the second computing device, the switching device removes the content from the common display screen and presents the content on the second computing device display screen on the common display screen.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the common display screen includes a display surface dividable into at least two spaces for presenting content from at least first and second computing devices simultaneously.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the control interface receives power from a computing device when linked thereto.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein audio content from the computing device is also provided to the switching device while content from the computing device is presented on the common display screen.

19. A method for sharing information on a common display screen viewable by a plurality of conferees wherein each conferee has a video source device, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a switching device that includes at least a first output port linked to the common display screen and at least one input for receiving content to be presented on the common display screen as well as control signals, the switching device including a processor;
associating each of a plurality of video source devices with the switching device;
associating a separate control interface with each of the video sources, each control interface including a selectable control button and at least one indicator for indicating at least first and second different control states when content from an associated video source is presented on the common display screen and when content from the associated v

Assignees

• Steelcase Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H04N7/183

  for receiving images from a single remote source · CPC title

• H04N5/268

  Signal distribution or switching · 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