Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-20
2002-01-01
Jankus, Almis R. (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C709S204000, C709S205000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06335739
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal operation system for operating at least one computer terminal (operated terminal) by at least one other computer terminal (operating terminal) by utilizing the corresponding input devices such as keyboards and mice connected to the operating terminals, where a plurality of operated terminals and operating terminals are connected to each other in a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of computer network systems such as local area network (hereinafter, referred to as LAN) and the internet in recent years, computers have been used in various ways. One of them is an electronic conference system in which a large display computer is used as a large-sized projector screen, or an electronic whiteboard, a plurality of operating terminals for conference participants are connected to each other via a network, and conference participants proceed the conference by showing materials on the large screen.
This electronic conference system is designed to be used by connecting a plurality of operating terminals for conference participants in a conference room where the electronic conference is held and a plurality of operating terminals for remote conference participants via the network. In this electronic conference system, electrically prepared documents (data files made with such as word processors and presentation tools) are opened from every operating terminal with an appropriate application and displayed on a projector screen. An electrically prepared documents of interest is pointed out and explained with pointing devices such as a mouse, and further edited through input devices cooperatively. The operating terminals for electronic conference participants are used as terminals for operating the electronic whiteboard via the network as well as local terminals for the individual users.
In general, a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as PC) is designed to be operated by one person who is using it. Therefore, when a PC is used as a shared PC such as an electronic whiteboard where a plurality of users can simultaneously operate, some kind of exclusive control of the operation input to the PC is necessary in order to limit the number of persons who can actually perform the operation input to the PC. For this exclusive control, the operation authority is introduced.
In terms of the operation authority, the technology for automatically switching the assignment of the operation authority between operating terminals for conference participants is known. In this technology, when a terminal receives a request to acquire the operation authority from another terminal while operating an operated terminal after acquiring the operation authority, the operating authority is switched after asking another terminal whether the operation authority can be transferred or by determining the priority of the command sent out by the terminal requesting the operation authority.
In the above technology, only one operation authority is set, and the operation authority can be acquired by only one operating terminal. Therefore, once one operating terminal acquires the operating authority, the other terminals cannot operate the operated terminal at all.
In the electronic conference system in which one operated terminal is operated by a plurality of operating terminals, an exclusive control is necessary so that simultaneous operation input is inhibited only with respect to data input that changes or updates a data content on the operated terminal if the data is input. However, simultaneous operations cause no problem with respect to a pointing operation in which a certain area in the screen is pointed in the same manner as a mouse. On the contrary, in the electronic conference, in order to enhance mutual communication and convenience for proceeding the conference, it is preferable to provide a function that enables a plurality of conference participants to perform the pointing operation on a large-sized projector or electronic white board simultaneously.
With respect to the above problem, simultaneous pointing operations can be performed by providing several levels of operation authorities. In other words, a plurality of kinds of operation authorities that are layered according to the operation content are provided, such as a data input operation authority for a data input operation to an operated terminal, and a pointer operation authority only for pointing operations such as a mouse operation and a pointer movement. According to those kinds of operation authorities, only one operating terminal with the data input operation authority is allowed to input data to the operated terminal, and at the same time the other operating terminals are given only the pointer operation authority for the operated terminal. Thus, data inputs and pointing operations can be simultaneously realized without any confusion.
However, a method for controlling the operation authority for a screen such as a large-sized projector in conventional electronic conference systems has posed the following problems yet to be solved.
Firstly, since an operation authority is set to the operation on the entire screen provided by the operated terminal, in an environment of multiple windows, the operation authority is moved every time when applications and windows are switched, thereby causing a complexity of operations. For example, when a plurality of windows are on the screen and one window displays a main presentation document for a conference and another window displays an input screen on which to take the minutes of the proceeding of the conference, the operations by a main speaker and the operation of taking the minutes by a person in charge proceed simultaneously. In this case, the operation authority is frequently switched, thereby disturbing a smooth proceeding of the conference.
The second problem is a conflict between an operation based on operation authority set to an operating terminal and a direct operation by an operated terminal itself. In general, the operated terminal that provides a screen to be operated simultaneously by the operating terminal is also a PC, and, from the viewpoint of efficient utilization of resources, it is assumed that the operated terminal is also used by a conference participant as a operating terminal. In this case, the operation of the screen from the operated terminal is a direct operation to itself and not restricted based on the operation authority. Therefore, when a PC is used as an operated terminal and as an operating terminal, the direct operation as the operated terminal and the operation based on the operation authority as an operating terminal in the electronic conference system conflicts each other. Thus, when the operated terminal is possibly to be directly operated, prevention of the conflict with the operation authority is necessary.
The third problem is that release or transfer of an operation authority do not always proceed smoothly in an actual use. In other words, since a data input operation authority excludes other users' operation for a certain period to allow exclusive input operations, conference participants usually do not struggle for obtaining the operation authority. They do not request that the operation authority should be transferred when another participant is holding it, or rather sometimes tend to hesitate to acquire it. In a situation where one operating terminal is currently holding the operation authority, and after a series of input operations, speech or oral explanation is continued while the operation authority remains in the operating terminal that is not used, there is a problem in that the other conference participants find it hard to acquire the operation authority. Also, in a situation where there are a plurality of screens and operated terminals, an operation authority is set to each screen and a main speaker as the master of the ceremony uses a plurality of screens (for example, one display showing document 1 and another display showi
Matsukura Ryuichi
Sasaki Kazuo
Watanabe Satoru
Cunningham T. F.
Jankus Almis R.
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