Remote pointing device
OwnerSteven Quinn McCain, Luis Carlos Urteaga +3inventors
InventorsSteven Quinn McCain, Luis Carlos Urteaga, Miguel Angel Muraira, Micah Glenn Pratt, Billy Glenn Tiller
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Abstract
A method, system, and apparatus, including a program encoded on computer-readable medium, for providing remote control of a light beam pointing device. The system includes a camera that captures at least one image at a first location and a light source that generates a light beam in a direction within a viewable area of the camera. At a second location, remote from the first location, a display screen displays images captured by the camera and a controller that controls pointing of the light source toward a desired target object at the first location.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a camera adapted to capture at least one image at a first location associated with a user of the camera;
- a light source adapted to generate a narrow beam of light in a direction within a viewable area of the camera;
- a display screen at a second location, remote from the first location, adapted to display images captured by the camera;
- and
- a controller, associated with the display screen, adapted to facilitate pointing of the light source toward a specific location on a selected object at the first location in an immediate vicinity of the camera, wherein the narrow beam of light is adapted to allow a user of the controller to communicate, to the user of the camera, the specific location on the selected object where a task is to be performed by the user of the camera.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a light source adapted to generate a narrow beam of light in a direction within a field of view of a camera;
- a communication module adapted to receive control data from a remote controller;
- and
- a gimbal adapted to reposition the light source to project the narrow beam of light at a specific selected location on an object in an immediate vicinity of the light source, wherein the specific selected location is identified based on video transmitted to and displayed on a display screen collocated with the remote controller in response to the control data received from the remote controller, and wherein the narrow beam of light is adapted to allow a user of the remote controller to communicate, to a user of the apparatus, the specific selected location on the object where a task is to be performed by the user of the apparatus.
A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
- transmitting at least one image captured by a camera at a location associated with a first user located in a vicinity of the camera to a remote device at a remote location for display on the remote device associated with a second user at the remote location;
- controlling a light source to generate a narrow beam of light in a selected direction within a viewable area of the camera;
- receiving control data generated by the remote device based on a selection of a specific location on a display screen adapted to display images captured by the camera on the remote device;
- and
- controlling a direction of the narrow beam of light based on the control data, wherein the narrow beam of light is adapted to allow the second user to communicate, to the first user, a specific location on a selected object in an immediate vicinity of the camera where a task is to be performed by the user of the apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.