US 5,745,711 AGranted

Display control method and apparatus for an electronic conference

AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.

InventorsChiho Kitahara, Takeshi Ishizaki, Shigeaki Kinoshita, Toshimitsu Hayashi, Masami Kameda, Tomomi Suzuki, Yoshiyuki Nakayama, Kenjiro Mori

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Abstract

In a conferencing system comprising telephones and workstations, a conference display control method for a visual user interface is provided. A conference window is displayed on a workstation display during a teleconference and includes a meeting table area as a shared space and a local area which cannot be seen by the other participants. Document objects corresponding to a document application program which is used in the conference are arranged on those areas. The distribution of the documents, reference of information, and execution of the application program can be executed by direct manipulation of objects using a mouse. In the conference window, the document object can be operated at both the cooperative work place and the local work place. Further, the conference window is displayed on the workstation display during the teleconference execution, the conference documents are sharingly executed by an OHP (overhead projector) object on the conference window, and the documents during the shared execution are displayed in an OHP area, so that the kind of document which is being executed can be grasped. Moreover, when a participant participates in a plurality of teleconferences on a communication network by one teleconference terminal, one teleconference can be recognized as a specific conference space, so that the user can selectively use a plurality of teleconferences without confusing them.

Claims16

Dependent claims

In an electronic conference system including a plurality of data processing units, each of which includes an input unit and a display unit, and a communication network for inter-connecting said data processing units to each other, said system realizes an electronic conference by providing communication between said processing units through said communication network, a method of controlling said display units comprises the steps of:

providing at least one of said data processing units with information indicating whether or not respective ones of said data processing units are participating in the electronic conference;
selecting a window on a display unit corresponding to a particular data processing unit which participates in the electronic conference in accordance with said information;
displaying, on said selected display unit, a participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference, a first area defined in said window corresponding to said participant object and a second area defined in said window corresponding to said particular data processing unit associated with said selected display unit;
displaying, on said first area, a data object representing data associated with said participant object;
and
moving said data object among a plurality of said first area and said second area in response to an input from said input unit, thus creating virtual views representing a virtual conference formed in terms of computers and networks, wherein each of said data processing units participating in the electronic conference is provided with a correspondingly unique virtual perspective of the electronic conference.

3 more elements

An electronic conference system including a plurality of data processing units, each of which includes an input unit and a display unit, and a communication network for inter-connecting said data processing units to each other, said system realizing an electronic conference by providing communication between said processing units through said communication network, said system comprising:

means for providing at least one of said data processing units with information indicating whether or not respective ones of said data processing units are participating in the electronic conference;
means for selecting a window on a display unit corresponding to a particular processing unit which participates in the electronic conference in accordance with said information;
means for displaying, on said selected display unit, a participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference, a first area defined in said window corresponding to said participant object and a second area defined in said window corresponding to said particular data processing unit associated with said selected display unit;
further means for displaying, on said first area, a data object representing data associated with said participant object;
and
means for moving said data object among a plurality of said first area and said second area in response to an input from said input unit, thus creating virtual views representing a virtual conference formed in terms of computers and networks wherein each of said data processing units participating in the electronic conference is provided with a correspondingly unique virtual perspective of the electronic conference.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/250,661Filed 27 May 1994 · continuation in part
Priority: JP 3-27525023 Oct 1991
Granted: 28 Apr 1998
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G06F 9/54
Multiprogramming arrangements: interprogram communication
G06F 3/04842
For the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a…:…
H04N 7/15
Systems for two-way working: conference systems
G06F
Computing and data processing