Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Touch panel
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-27
2003-02-11
Hjerpe, Richard (Department: 2674)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Touch panel
C345S173000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06518960
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic blackboard system comprising a display unit for displaying thereon characters and images, a touch input device with a touch panel provided on a front surface of the display unit, and a control unit for providing controls over displays by the display unit according to input from the touch input device capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard using the display unit and the touch input device, and more specifically to a size-reduced and integrated electronic blackboard system with improved operability, adaptability for handling, and convenience.
2. Discussion of the Background
Conventionally there has been known an electronic blackboard apparatus which can read freehand information written on a whiteboard or a write-in surface of a write-in sheet with some writing tool using a dedicated scanner and outputs the read information onto a recording paper with a dedicated printer, and this type of electronic blackboard apparatus is used as a so-called copy board.
There has been disclosed an electronic blackboard system with a touch panel provided on a write-in surface of the electronic blackboard for inputting freehand information on a write-in surface in real time. For instance, the Soft Board manufactured and provided by the Microfield Graphics, Inc. is a touch input device having an optical touch panel provided on a whiteboard which is a write-in surface and capable of acquiring visual data such as characters and pictures drawn on this whiteboard in real time into a personal computer connected thereto. With the electronic blackboard system using this Soft Board, it is possible to input visual data captured with the Soft Board into a personal computer for displaying the data on a CRT thereof, to display the data on a large-sized screen using a liquid crystal projector, or to output the data with a printer onto a recording paper. It is also possible to project an image on a screen of a personal computer with the Soft Board connected thereto onto the Soft Board with a liquid crystal projector and operate the image on the screen of the personal computer with a dedicated pen on the Soft Board.
Furthermore, there has been disclosed an electronic blackboard system having a display unit for displaying characters and images thereon, a touch input device with a touch panel provided on a front surface of the display unit, and a control unit for providing controls over displays by the display unit according to input from the touch input device and capable of forming a display surface and a write-in surface of the blackboard with the display unit and the touch input device. For instance, in a case of the Smart 2000 manufactured and supplied by the SMART Technologies Inc., an image of a character, a picture, or a graphics is projected with a liquid crystal projector connected to a personal computer onto a panel, freehand information is captured into the personal computer using a touch panel based on the pressure-sensing system (write-in surface) provided on a front surface of the projection surface (display surface) of the panel, the freehand information is synthesized with the image information in the personal computer, and the synthesized information can be displayed with the liquid crystal projector in real time.
When a communicating function for transferring audio or video data is integrated with the electronic blackboard system as described above, the electronic blackboard system can also be used as an electronic conference system by connecting remote sites with a communication line.
Although the conventional type of electronic blackboard system as described above has been used for conferences, presentation, or educational purposes and its effect in actual use has been highly evaluated, the system is constructed assuming that the electronic blackboard is basically used at a fixed place. Therefore, all or a portion of the devices such as a display unit, a touch input device, a personal computer (control unit), and a printer each constituting the electronic blackboard system are provided as discrete units, and a number of devices constituting the system is rather large, which requires to insure a wide space for installation thereof, and it is not easy to move or install the electronic blackboard system. In other words, size of the system is large, and a number of devices constituting the system is large, so that the operability, adaptability for handling, and convenience are disadvantageously insufficient.
More specifically, when one electronic blackboard system is shared by a plurality of conference rooms or a different sections of an organization and is moved from place to place according to the necessity, as there are many component devices, a long time is required for moving it from a place to another place, and in addition it is necessary to reconnect the component devices to each other, so that a disadvantageously long time is required for installing the electronic blackboard system. It is not easy for one person to move and install the system within a short period of time.
Furthermore, with the conventional type of electronic blackboard system, when a surface is used as both a display surface and a write-in surface, it is necessary to use a liquid crystal projector as a display unit, so that size of the system inevitably becomes large, and also it is required to insure a wide space for installation thereof and to reduce brightness at a site where the electronic blackboard system is being used.
It is conceivable to minimize the size (make thinner) of the display unit by using a liquid crystal display as a display unit, but a view field angle of a liquid crystal display unit is narrow, and it is very difficult to see the screen when viewed at a certain angle, so that it is not suited to be used as a display unit for an electronic blackboard system shared by a plurality of users. In addition, when a liquid crystal display having a large screen is used as a display unit for an electronic blackboard system, cost of the electronic blackboard system becomes disadvantageously expensive.
Furthermore, in recent years, in association with progress in the fields of data-processing devices and AV devices, also at the sites of conferences, presentation, or educational activities, such devices as digital cameras, DVD players, or video equipment are frequently used, but design of electronic blackboard systems based on the conventional technology is not based on considerations to concurrent use of the devices as described above, so that the operability, adaptability for handling, and convenience are not sufficient. For instance, when the devices as described above are used, it is necessary to input data once via a control unit such as a personal computer, and connection between component devices is very complicated, and in addition to the necessity of operating each device, it is necessary to operate the personal computer, which makes the work very complicated and troublesome. Especially, when a digital camera, a DVD player, and video equipment are to be alternately switched for use, or when a plurality types of devices are used, connection therebetween and operation becomes still complicated, which may interfere the smooth proceeding of a conference or other activities executed by using the electronic blackboard system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made in the light of the circumstances as described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic blackboard system which has a small size as a whole and also has an improved operability, adaptability for handling and convenience.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic blackboard system in which it is possible to connect and operate various types of data-processing devices and AV equipment to each other without requiring assistance of a personal computer.
In order to achieve the objects described above, the electronic blackboar
Beppu Tomohiko
Furuta Toshiyuki
Inoue Takao
Kitaguchi Takashi
Omura Katsuyuki
Hjerpe Richard
Nguyen Kevin M.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
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