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

A content sharing device for use in controlling content replicated from a video source device on a large common display screen, the content sharing device comprising:

• a housing having a floor member that forms a substantially flat undersurface and a lateral wall that extends upward from the floor member to form a cavity;
• a processor located within the cavity;
• at least first, second and third control buttons supported by the housing and linked to the processor;
• a flexible cable operably linked to the processor and having a distal end opposite the processor, the cable including a connector at the distal end for linking to the video source device;
• wherein the first, second and third control buttons are separately associated with distinct first, second and third fields on the common display screen, respectively, such that selection of the first, second and third control buttons indicates a user's desire to replicate content from a video source device within the first, second and third fields, respectively.

A content sharing device for use in controlling content replicated from a video source device on a large common display screen, the content sharing device comprising:

• a housing having a floor member that forms a substantially flat undersurface and a lateral wall that extends upward from the floor member to form a cavity;
• a processor located within the cavity;
• at least first, second and third control buttons supported by the housing and linked to the processor;
• a cable operably linked to the processor and having a distal end opposite the processor, the cable including a connector at the distal end for linking to the video source device;
• a light indicator device supported by the housing and linked to the processor;
• wherein, the processor is programmed to enable content from the video source device linked to the connector to be replicated in a first field on the common display screen upon selection of the first control button, to enable content from the video source device linked to the connector to be replicated in a second field adjacent to and separate from the first field upon selection of the second control button, to enable content from the video source device linked to the connector to be replicated in a third field adjacent to and separate from the first and second fields upon selection of the third control button and to enable content from the video source device linked to the connector to be replicated in a fourth field adjacent to and separate from the first, second and third fields upon selection of the fourth control button, the processor further configured to control the light indicator device to indicate a first state while content from a video source device linked to the content sharing device is replicated on the common display screen and to indicate a second state while content from the video source device linked to the content sharing device is not replicated on the common display screen.

A content sharing system for replicating video content presented on display screens of portable computing devices on a large common display screen, the content sharing system comprising:

• a switching device linked to the common display screen to provide content thereto, the switching device dividing the common display screen space into first, second, third and fourth distinct fields that cover an upper left quadrant, an upper right quadrant, a lower left quadrant and a lower right quadrant of the common display screen, respectively;
• at least first and second control dongles, each control dongle comprising:
• (i) a housing;
• (ii) a processor supported by the housing;
• (iii) first, second, third and fourth control buttons supported by the housing and linked to the processor;
• (iv) a cable operably linked to the processor and having a distal end opposite the processor, the cable including a connector at the distal end for linking to a portable computing device;
• (v) a light indicator device supported by the housing and linked to the processor;
• (vi) wherein, each processor is programmed to receive control commands from the first, second, third and fourth buttons linked thereto and enables replication of content from a linked portable computing device in the first, second, third and fourth fields when the first, second, third and fourth buttons linked thereto are selected, each processor further programmed to control the light indicator device linked thereto to indicate a first state when content from a linked portable computing device is replicated in a field on the common display and to indicate a second state when content from a linked portable computing device is not replicated in a field on the common display, respectively.