MXPA05012588A - System and method for electronic presentations - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic presentation system and method provides multiple display screens for presentation materials as well as permits dynamic annotations to presentation materials that do not permanently alter the presentation materials. The presentation materials can easily be directed to any one of the display screens and any annotations can be saved for future use or simply deleted. A single interface screen allows simple annotation of either the left or right screen images while a zoom feature allows slides to be presented in a variety of different ways.

Description

Published: For two-letter codes and other abbreviations, refer to the "Guid- - without international search report and to be republished anee Notes on Codes and Abbreviations" appearing at the beginning- upon receipt of the report no regular issue of the PCT Gazette.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC PRESENTATIONS RELATED REQUESTS This application is a continuation in part of US Patent Application Serial No. 10 / 153,859, filed May 24, 2002, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC PRESENTATION," which relates to and claims priority over the US Provisional Application No of Series 60 / 293,179, filed on May 25, 2001, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PROVISION OF ELECTRONIC INSTRUCTION, the disclosure of both being incorporated herein, in its entirety, by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to systems and methods of group presentations and, more specifically, to an electronic presentation system and method having multiple screens.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A traditional method for making presentations to relatively small groups, such as in an educational or training environment, includes the use of a overhead overhead projector and visual presentation sheets or slides or transparencies. In accordance with this known method, the presenter has a series of display sheets that are manually placed on, and then removed from, a raised projector, in a predetermined order. While blank presentation sheets are sometimes inserted to allow the presenter to dynamically present the material during presentation, the presenter is unlikely to write on a previously prepared visual presentation sheet because such annotation would likely ruin the presentation sheet for its presentation. future use.

Recent advances in automation have addressed some of the shortcomings of this traditional presentation method. In one case, a video output from a computer can now be connected to a projector so that a computer-generated slide show can be displayed on a screen, sometimes with animation. However, this introduction of automation does not change the limited and static nature of the materials and methods of presentation.

Therefore, it would be convenient to have a dynamic presentation system and method that allows a presenter to present, effectively and dynamically, material that can be easily modified and enlarged, according to each environment in which the presentation is made.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention addresses these and other needs with a system and method that provides multiple display screens for the presentation materials, as well as allowing dynamic annotations in the presentation materials that do not permanently alter the presentation materials. The presentation materials can easily be directed to any of the display screens, and any annotation can be saved for future use or simply deleted. One aspect of the present invention relates to a system for providing electronic presentations in which the system includes, for example, a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by means of a programmable computer; a first display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a first video input signal; a second display screen coupled with the prsgrammable computer and having a second video input signal; and a third display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a third video input signal. The presentation system also includes an application of presentation control programs that are stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer, wherein the programmable computer is configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by means of which each of the plurality of slides is sent for presentation to one of the first or second display screens. The third display screen includes a multi-window display interface that simultaneously represents the current image of the right side, the current image of the left side and an image of the next slide that will be sent. Using the presentation control system, a presenter can select the image of the right side or the left side and make the real-time annotation of that image.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to an application program and method for providing an electronic presentation of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, which provides a display control interface on a central display screen; which displays a slide, from among the plurality of slides, in a preview window within the presentation control interface; which receives the input through the presentation control interface which indicates whether or not to direct the slide to a right display screen or to a left display screen; which sends the slide for display on the indicated display screen, and which retrieves a next slide for display in the preview window. In addition to the display on the separate screens, the display control interface simultaneously displays, in separate sub-windows, the right-side slide, the left-side slide, and the next presentation slide to be sent on the central display screen. From this central display screen any slide can be selected and annotated, to modify the presentation in real time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which: FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary presentation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary presentation system according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates the additional connections useful in the presentation system according to the embodiment of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 illustrates the rear panel connectors of an exemplary computer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 represents a logical flow diagram of an exemplary presentation method according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary screen image of a presentation application interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary toolbar of an annotation application for touch screen monitors according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary remote control according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary presentation system incorporating a single touch screen. FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary multiple window interface according to the embodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary annotation screen interface according to the embodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary split screen mode for displaying a presentation slide according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary approach to displaying a presentation slide according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 illustrates the display in approach mode of FIG. 13, after a portion of the presentation slide has been selected for expansion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are provided in the following to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Various embodiments of the present invention are presented and discussed below. In particular, many modalities are described with reference to the specific environment of instructional or training presentations. This specific environment is propitiatory to describe many aspects of the present invention. Nevertheless, the present invention is not limited only to this specific environment, but rather contemplates within its scope other presentation environments in which multiple screens and dynamic annotation capability are beneficial. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary display system 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, a computer system 106 controls the data flows and presentation materials used by the other components. In particular, the computer 106 provides a graphical interface 122 on the monitor 104 to assist the presenter in controlling a presentation. The video data displayed on the monitor 104 of the interface is provided by the video output 116b of the computer 106. Although not shown in its entirety, the computer system 106 is a conventional system comprising a keyboard, storage devices massive and parallel and network interfaces, as well as the many other peripherals and known components that are part of a typical computer system. The computer system 106 also includes separate video outputs 116a, 116c that respectively provide video output to the left side projector 114a and the right side projector 114b- The video output can be SVGA formatted video signals, as well as other video formats. conventional video Within the present description, the left / right side convention is from the perspective of the presenter. The video data that is sent on each of the video outputs 116a, 116c is determined by the presenter using the interface 122. Using the interface 122, the presenter retrieves the warehouse presentation material (not shown) accessible by the system. of computer 106 and then directs that material to one or both of the video outputs 116a, 116c. The projectors 114a, 114b then display the respective display materials on a respective screen 102a, 102b. The video outputs 116a, 116c, in addition to being directed to the projectors 114a, 114b, are also directed through the respective paths 118a, 118b to the touch screen monitors 110a, 110b. In practice, monitors 110a, 110b would be located close to the presenter while screens 102a, 102b would be located for convenient viewing by an audience receiving the presentation. Each of the touch screen monitors 110a, 110b is connected to the computer system 106. In FIG. 1, these connections 120a, 120b are represented as serial connections, but other functionally equivalent feedback connection paths are also contemplated by the present invention. These connection paths can be other types of input / output protocols and hardware and are not limited to RS-232 serial communication paths. The connections 120a, 120b are used to provide feedback from a respective touch screen monitor 110a, 110b indicating any tactile interaction that may occur with the monitor 110a. While FIG. 1 represents an exemplary pen 112a, 112b for each monitor 110a, 110b, tactile interaction with the monitors 110a, 110b may occur using the same pen or even no pen. The interface 122 can be controlled using a keyboard, mouse or other input device connected to the computer 106. However, to provide the presenter with some flexibility in movement and location around a room, a remote control device 108 is connects 120c also to computer system 106 to also control interface 122. This remote control device 108 could include a transmitter (and receiver in computer 106) using USB, FireWire, IrDA, serial or many other types of input conventions / output to connect the computer 106. Additionally, the display device 104 may also be a touch screen device that allows the presenter to control the presentation using tactilely initiated commands, and such device will need its own feedback path 124. Within the exemplary display system 100 of FIG. 1, the computer system 106 controls the operation of the presentation by running concurrently: a) a presentation interface 122 that is used to retrieve and direct (or send) presentation materials to one of two video outputs 116a, 116c; b) an annotation tool for the left side screen 102a which receives tactile feedback from a touch screen monitor 110a and adjusts the video output 116a accordingly; and c) an annotation tool for the right side screen 102b that receives touch feedback from a touch screen monitor 110b and adjusts the video output 116c accordingly. Within the mode just described, as well as other embodiments described herein, the exemplary components are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For example, touch screen monitors 110a, 11b may include LCD display panels (Liquid Crystal Display) or other types of displays; and the computer 106 does not necessarily have to be physically positioned with the other components, but can be connected via network or other long-range wiring techniques to the various other components of the presentation system 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates another exemplary display system 200 according to another, more preferred embodiment of the present invention. System 200 uses many conventional components to achieve the inventive presentation systems and methods described below. For example, the video switch 240 may be a conventional 4x4 controllable video switch that includes its own program manager and application program interface (API) routines for easy integration. Similarly, monitors 212, 238, 234 may be conventional touch screen monitors that include their own handler and calibration program routines that are easily integrated with other components of the system 200. Modern operating systems, such as the which runs on the computer 204, typically allow defining multiple video displays so that modification of the operating system is not necessary to support the operation and interaction of multiple video cards within the computer 204. In this embodiment, compared to the system 100, additional video displays are possible and a video switch 240 is used to provide additional functionality. However, because many aspects of system 200 are similar to those of system 100 of FIG. 1, the detailed explanation of some characteristics is not repeated when describing FIG. 2. The system 200 includes a computer 204 used by a presenter to provide a multi-screen presentation to an audience using the left 232 and right 236 projectors. The presenter has three monitors available: a left monitor 234 screen showing the material that it is presented of the left projector 232, a right monitor 238 of screen that shows the material that is presented of the right projector 236, and the central monitor 212 that provides a graphical user interface to the application of presentation programs running on the computer 204 In the exemplary system 200, there is also a demonstration computer 216, the demonstration monitor 202, and video splitter 214. The video splitter 214 provides the video output 218 of the demonstration computer 216 to both, the monitor show 202 and video switch 240. The demonstration computer 216 is typically under the control of the present It can be used to create simulations and other demonstrations that increase or further explain the presentation materials that are viewed by an audience. Accordingly, the graphical user interface also allows the presenter to direct the video output from the demonstration computer 216 to one of the projectors 232, 236, so that the audience has the benefit of simulations and demonstrations. The video switch 240 is a conventional video switch, as is known to someone of ordinary skill, and can be controlled to direct a data signal received at one of its inputs to one or more of its data outputs. As shown, video switch 240 receives at least three video signals: a) 208 (from computer 204); b) 210 (of the computer 204); and c) 220 (of the demonstration computer 216 through the video distributor 214). Depending on the settings of the video switch 240, these various input signals are then directed to one or more of the following outputs: a) 224 (the left projector 232); b) 226 (the left monitor 234); c) 228 (the right projector 236); and d) 230 (the right monitor 238). Similar to system 100 described above, system 200 of FIG. 2 provides a presentation system that allows a presenter to use a graphical user interface running on the computer 204 and displayed on the central monitor 212. This user interface allows the presenter to retrieve the presentation materials, preview them on the central monitor 212 and then send the materials to either the left projector 232, the right projector 236 or both. To control what is presented to the audience, the presenter uses the interface to send the materials from one of two video outputs 208, 210 and to configure the video switch 240 to direct its different video inputs to the appropriate video outputs. . As shown in FIG. 3, the serial path 310 is an exemplary method for the computer 204 to selectively configure the video switch 240. In particular, using the communication link 310, the presenter interacts with the presentation system programs to send a command from the computer 204 to video switch 240. Based on this command, video switch 240 controls the coupling between video inputs and outputs. The right monitor 238, the left monitor 234, and the central monitor 212 in a preferred embodiment, are all touch screen monitors. In addition, the computer 204 is executing three instances of an annotation tool (eg, an application program) where each case of the annotation tool allows the modification or the augmentation of the video data displayed in one of the respective monitors 212, 234, 238. This augmented video data is superimposed on any presentation slides that are currently being displayed. As shown in FIG. 3, these monitors are connected to respective inputs of the computer 204. The feedback paths 304-308 copies of FIG. 3 are shown as serial communication paths that provide responses to the computer 204 that are dependent on touch interaction with a respective touch screen monitor. The feedback data is routed to the appropriate case of annotation tools to appropriately adjust the video data displayed on the appropriate monitor. In operation, the presenter will touch a monitor, for example, the right monitor 238 that attracts the attention of the operating system to the case of the annotation tool associated with the right monitor 238. Using the annotation tool and the touch screen monitor 238 (along with its handler program), the presenter can draw things such as text, boxes, free hand diagrams and other annotations that can be superimposed over the video data that is being sent by the computer 204 for display on the computer screen. right presentation. Accordingly, the audience has the benefit of static presentation material that can be easily increased in real time in response to the individual needs of that particular audience. FIG. 4 shows an exemplary view of a computer 204. As shown, this computer can include multiple video output ports 410-414 as well as multiple input / output ports 402-408. The present invention is not limited to the specific types of the computer and port arrangement of FIG. 4, but rather contemplates alternative functionally equivalent arrangements as well. FIG. 5 depicts a high-level logical flow diagram of an exemplary presentation method according to one embodiment of the present invention. According to this flow diagram, the presenter can use a system such as the one shown in FIG. 2 to provide effective and dynamic presentations of multiple screens to an audience. The method can be incorporated as one or more application programs that can run on one or more computers that, when executed, perform the presentation method in accordance with what is described herein.

In step 502, a list of available presentations is presented to a presenter to allow the presenter to make a selection. Once a presentation file is selected, the method continues, in step 504, by providing a list of the slides comprising the selected presentation. Once the presentation file is selected, the presentation system can proceed with the subsequent steps of displaying images under the presenter's control. However, the preloader is a useful tool that preloads images and the data files that accompany them, so that they are deposited before the start of the presentation. In the operation, the preloading tool may or may not be used at the discretion of the presenter; however, the use of the deposited images will allow a faster display of different screens if compared to making the presentation with images not deposited. The first slide between the slides is automatically presented in a preview window, in step 506, so that the presenter can see what the next slide is and decide how it can be displayed as best as possible. At this point, the presenter will be able to determine that the slide should be recorded, in step 508, before being displayed.

Then, in step 510, the method determines which of many possible alternatives the presenter selects for the display of the preview slide. For example, the presenter could select, in step 514, send the preview slide to the left screen or, in step 516, send the preview slide to the right screen. Alternatively, the method may include an automatic sending feature that refers to a preferred file to determine, in step 518, which screen to automatically send the preview slide to. Other deployment options can be selected in step 519; these options can include things such as deleting the left or right screen, returning to a slide in the presentation, skipping the current preview slide without displaying it, jumping to a slide out of order, jumping to a slide from another presentation file , or send a blank template to one of the display screens. The presenter may also select, in step 512, display the output of a demonstration computer on the left screen (step 522) or on the right screen (step 524). The presenter may also choose, at step 520, to annotate on the slide that is displayed on the left screen (in step 526) or on the right screen (in step 528). By annotating on a slide, the presenter is able to interactively increase the presentation in a modified manner to the extent appropriate to the present audience. While annotations may be useful in subsequent slide presentations and to preserve annotations for more than one slide displayed, step 530 of the method saves any annotations for future use. Based on the choice of the presenter to display or annotate on a presentation slide, step 532 results in the next slide that is retrieved and displayed in the preview window. Step 534 represents that the method then repeats itself from step 510 until the last slide of the presentation file is displayed. The details of this method are presented below in relation to specific interface and application programs for controlling a slide presentation. FIG. 6 shows an exemplary screen image 600 of the presentation application programs running on the computer 204, which allows the presenter to control the presentation made to an audience. Components of the graphic user interface such as menus that are downloaded, selection boxes, icons, display windows, toolbars and manipulations thereof, are well known in the art and will not be described in great detail. The basis for a presentation may consist, for example, of a number of PowerPoint slides arranged together in what can be referred to as a presentation file. Other slide formats are also contemplated in the present invention. PowerPoint files or slide shows, and their individual frames, can be stored on the hard disk of computer 204. For example, presentation programs can be set to search presentation files in a default directory such as "D :\courses". Within that directory there would be a number of different presentation files that the presentation programs would automatically explore and display to the presenter for the selection of the same. In one embodiment, the presentation system also allows user-defined preference data to be associated with any of the presentation files. This preference data can take the form of preference files using a predetermined extension (eg, ".ipf") so that presentation programs can easily associate a preference file with your presentation file named after similar. In a preferred embodiment, the preferences file may contain a number of entries that have three fields: < Slide number > , < Address label > , < Text of the slow memory advancer > Thus, a preference file could resemble: 14, R, mention the three aspects 2. L, 16, R, tell the joke about the three programmers As shown, there is no need for the slide numbers to be in numerical order, although following such a convention may prove useful under certain circumstances. In addition, it is not required that each slide have an entry or that each entry has data in each field. Alternatively, the preference information can be included in the slides of the presentation file itself. Using the "annotations" section of a PowerPoint slide, or similar features for another presentation file format, the preference information does not need to be stored in a separate preferences file, but may be included within the presentation file. The interface of the presentation programs provides a box that is lowered 616 that helps the presenter in selecting a presentation. In FIG. 6, for example, the presenter has selected a file called "503-CH00US" which, in one modality, can be significant and indicate that the presentation belongs to chapter 00 of lesson 503. On the hard disk this file could be stored as a PowerPoint file "503-ChOOUS.ppt". In a preferred embodiment, the first slide of a selected presentation is automatically displayed in the preview window 602. The window 612 shows the 13 slides within the selected presentation file and their respective titles. A slide title 614 is shown as selected (as indicated by the reverse video) and this slide 604 is displayed in the preview window 602. From this window 602 the presenter can direct (or send) slide 604 to one of the video outputs of the computer 204. The monitor in which the display 600 is displayed may be a touch screen monitor 212 but the presenter may also interact with the interface of the presentation programs using a keyboard or a mouse, in addition of touch input. There are three icons on the screen 600 that determine the destination of the preview slide 604. The term "destination" refers to which video output from the computer 204 is sent to display the slide on the left or right screen. According to one embodiment, the arrangement and cable connections of the video switch are configured in a predetermined manner as shown in FIG. 2. Presentation programs know of this default configuration and they themselves are configured to provide the slide to the appropriate video output based on which icon is selected by the presenter. The specific wiring connections may be different from those shown in FIG. 2, as long as the presentation programs are configured to direct the video output of compliance. The icon 620 causes the presentation programs to send the preview slide 604 to the left screen, while the icon 644 causes the presentation programs to send the preview slide 604 to the right screen. If the preview slide 604 has a specified address preference in an associated preference file, then the icon 632 becomes active and, by selecting that icon 632, the presenter can send the slide to the preferred screen based on the address preference found in the preferences file. Once the preview slide 604 is sent to its appropriate screen for display, the display programs automatically display the next slide in the slide sequence within window 602. The preference label can be deleted using any 620 icon or 644 instead of the automatic icon 632. The window 618 is used to display any text of the slow advance of the memory from the preferences file to help the presenter with the presentation. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the entry of a slide in the preferences file may have an address entry such as "LR". This double entry will have the effect of automatically displaying a slide on the left screen and then displaying the next slide on the right screen, so that both slides appear to be displayed substantially simultaneously. Consequently, the new eventual preview slide is two withdrawals from the initial preview slide. The slides can be selected out of sequence from the display window 612 and then displayed in the preview window 602. The interface screen 600 also provides a "backward" icon 630 and a "forward" icon 634. The icon 630 allows the presenter to proceed in a reverse direction in preview window 602 and icon 634 allows the current preview slide 604 to be skipped and the next slide in the presentation to be displayed in preview window 602. Icons 626 and 638, respectively, provide a "slide show" feature of the left screen and the right screen that allows a slide to appear to be slid up from the display screen. This activity mimics the traditional action of a presenter who slides a presentation sheet up into the projector, so that the lower half of the sheet is emphasized. These icons act as levers in such a way that the successive selection of the icon moves suddenly between the normal presentation of a slide and an "advanced slowly" presentation of the slide.

To focus students on one screen or the other, and for additional reasons within a presentation, the interface of the presentation programs provides the 624 icon to clean the left display and the 640 icon to clean the right display. Selecting any of these icons again will result in the proper deployment not being "cleaned". As shown in the environment of FIG. 2, the video output of the demonstration computer 216 is provided to the video switch 240. The presentation programs can effect the display of this video output to one of the display projectors 232, 236 by means of the appropriate control of the switch 240 through communication link 310. When the presenter wants to direct the output of the demonstration computer 216 to the left projector, the icon 628 is selected. This selection causes the presentation programs to control the video switch 240 to display the video signal 218 on the left screen. Similar functionality with the right projector 236 is achieved using the icon 636. A second selection of any of the icons 628, 636 will restore the slides displayed to the respective screen instead of the output of the demonstration computer 216. A second demonstration computer it may be included, which takes advantage of the fourth unused input of video switch 240. In such an alternative, manual control of video switch 240 may prove useful in selecting the appropriate routing of the video signal. Using buttons 650, 652, respectively, the current displayed slide on the left or right display screen can be added to the list of "favorites" displayed in window 610. This list can be named as something meaningful, such as "favorites .fvt "and located in the default directory" D: \ courses ". Other names and file locations could also be used. In a preferred embodiment, the file format is: < Presentation File > , < Slide number > : < Descriptive Text > Therefore, an entry could resemble: 409-Ch05, 14: Free lattice that refers to the fourteenth slide of the 409-Ch05.ppt presentation file (for example, if PowerPoint slides are being used). The descriptive text can be any text, but the title of the slide is a useful example.

By selecting any of the 650 or 652 buttons, new input is added, or otherwise inserted into the favorites file. In a preferred embodiment, this file is useful between different presentation files and is not specific to a particular presentation file. The presenter selects a slide from the 610 window similar to the way in which a slide is selected from the 612 window. One difference is that the presentation programs must open the referred presentation file, extract the appropriate slide and display it in the window Preview 602. The slide can then be sent to the left or right screen using icons 620 and 644, respectively. Once the slide is submitted, the presentation returns to the location of the slide within the original presentation file to select the next slide to place in the preview window 602. The presentation programs cooperate with three different cases of a slide annotation application (that is, an annotation tool). The slide annotation tool can be a vector-based drawing tool that generates graphics that can be superimposed on a presentation slide. Each of these cases of the annotation tool corresponds to a different one of the monitors 212, 234, 238. The execution of a case of the annotation tool gives rise to an annotation tool that is displayed on each of the different monitors 212, 234, 238. The annotation toolbar 608 associated with the annotation tool for the central monitor 212 is shown at the bottom of the preview window 602. Using this toolbar, the presenter can annotate on the slide 604 before it is sent to any of the left or right display screens. Each of the left and right monitors 234 and 238 has its own associated annotation tools and similar toolbars. The clock icon 606 opens a timer window that allows a presenter to select a period and display a countdown screen indicating the time remaining within that period. This period of time may reflect the time remaining to complete an exercise or the time remaining until the end of an interruption in the presentation. FIG. 7 represents an exemplary annotation toolbar such as that shown in FIG. 6. The different functions of the toolbar are selected by touching or selecting the appropriate icon. From left to right, the icons include: 702: A hide / show button that expands or contracts the toolbar display. 704: A text function that is used by tapping on the presentation slide where the text should appear and then using the keyboard (of the computer 204) to enter the text. 706: A freehand drawing tool that allows drawing on the slide, preferably using a pen or other similar instrument. 708: A rectangle drawing function that allows you to select an initial corner and drag it to define a rectangle. 710: An ellipse drawing function similar to the function of the rectangle but an ellipse is drawn in the "limits" box. In a preferred embodiment, both, the rectangle and ellipse tools automatically activate a text input function, so that the created form can have embedded text without requiring the selection of any additional icon. 712: A straight line drawing function that is used by selecting the start and end points of the line, 714: A "call" function that creates a text entry box that resembles a speech balloon of the comic strips. 716: A highlight tool that creates a rectangle on the screen that is highlighted in transparent yellow. 718: A pointer tool that allows an indicator to be displayed on the presentation slide at a desired location. In a preferred embodiment, the indicator is a bright red arrow. This arrow will move to any location on the presentation slide that is played by the presenter. 720: A progressive disclosure function that covers the portions of the presentation slide to prevent its display. The first touch on the screen sets the initial vertical location and each successive touch resets the overlay to display more and more of the presentation slide. 722: A draft tool that erases any annotation on a presentation slide. 724: A undo function that removes each annotation in a reverse order. 726: A color selection tool that selects color from different colors for future annotation operations. Annotations may be occurring on the left, right and center monitors in any particular order; therefore, in a preferred embodiment, annotations are saved each time a presenter navigates away from a presentation slide. For example, slide 14 may be displayed on the left monitor 234 and be annotated while slide 13 is displayed on the right monitor 238. If the presenter touches the right monitor 238, then the operating system of the computer 204 detects that the attention now has changed to the right monitor 238 and that any additional input will be interpreted by the annotation tool associated with that monitor 238. The presentation programs also keep any current annotation for slide 14 before proceeding. If the presenter then navigates back to slide 14, the current annotations for slide 13 are saved and the additional entry is interpreted by the annotation tool associated with the left monitor 234. In a preferred embodiment, the vector graphics files created by each annotation tool are stored in the "C: \ courses" directory. For example, as annotations are made on the slides within the 409-Ch05.ppt presentation file, a 409-Ch05.ann directory can be created and populated with a "xxx" file, where the "xxx" refers to the slide inside that presentation file. When the presentation programs present a slide in the preview window 602, they can automatically search for the existence of any annotation file and automatically increase the slide accordingly. As a result, the annotation files can be saved and moved to another computer to increase a presentation from that computer while the presentation slides that reside on the second computer are still used. Also, the redeployment of an annotated slide does not depend on the display screen in which the slide was originally annotated. For example, a slide displayed and annotated while on the right display screen can be recalled later to be displayed and sent to the left display screen and any previous annotation will be displayed on the left display screen without any need for modification .

Returning briefly to the interface screen 600 of FIG. 6, there are two complementary icons 622 and 642. These icons, respectively, start a blank slide in the left and right display screens. This blank slide can then be annotated as desired. In a preferred embodiment, a dialog box appears asking for a name for the blank slide and can provide a suggested name by default as well. If the newly named slide is not saved as a favorite, then it will be deleted at the end of the current presentation. If it is saved, then it will be available to be recalled later. In a similar way, individual slides can be created and copied from the "C: \ courses" directory and manually added to the favorites file. In this way, additional extrinsic slides that increase a presentation file can easily be made available for selection and display during the pre-written presentation. The presentation system is not limited to presenting the visible content of only one document file format. The presentation system, for example, can work with two or more different document file formats, such as PowerPoint presentations and Adobe Acrobat PDF files. In a preferred embodiment, PowerPoint presentations are used to deliver the information screens in landscape layout (horizontal), while the Acrobat files display information from paged documents portrait layout (vertical). According to this modality, both the PowerPoint and Acrobat presentations can be treated in exactly the same way by the presentation system, including the incorporation of any annotation file associated with each screen of the document that is being displayed. Due to the difference in aspect ratio between landscape and portrait documents, there may be cases where only two thirds of a portrait mode page (eg, one page of the Acrobat) are displayed on each screen and projector. The "accommodation" buttons 626, 638 on the 600 interface are used to make the lower two thirds of a page of the Acrobat visible. The functionality and benefits of the "favorites" mechanism remain the same for any of the PowerPoint or Acrobat pages, while both formats can be saved and then recalled for display on any display screen 212, 234, A remote 108 exemplary of FIG. 1 is shown in more detail in FIG. 8 as the element 800. For example, the remote control 800 may be connected to the computer 204 using an input / output port that is not being used by another component of the system 200. The remote control does not need to have the complete set of tools which is shown in FIG. 6, but rather can include an 802 button to automatically advance a slide; a button 804 to skip the current preview slide; a button 806 to send the preview slide to the right screen; a button 808 to erase / display the right screen; an 810 button to erase / display the left screen; and a button 812 to send the preview slide to the left screen. FIG. 9 represents an alternative arrangement of the display system 900 compared to the system 100 of FIG. 1 or system 200 of FIG. 2. However, there are many common components in each of the systems that have been previously described in detail with respect to the previous figures. Accordingly, in order not to obscure the differences between the various arrangements, the detailed description of those common characteristics shared by each arrangement is not repeated with reference to FIG. 9. Instead, the distinctions between the various arrangements are highlighted and a detailed description of those differences is provided. In FIG. 9, computer 902 controls the data streams and presentation materials used by the other components. This computer 902 includes a communications port 904 to interface with the input devices such as Trac Ball, keyboards (standard or miniature) and mice. The computer 902 provides a graphical user interface, through the video port 908, on the touch screen 918 to assist a presenter or instructor in controlling a presentation. Communications port 906 receives feedback from a touch screen 918, as provided by means of a pen. While any conventional touch-screen terminal can be used, an exemplary 918 touch screen is the Wacom Cintiq 45-inch (18-inch) computer-aided design terminal. This particular terminal includes a custom made pen that allows a user to rest their hand on the display screen while writing. This functionality improves the accuracy of annotation. Video ports 910 and 912 provide video output for deployment on right and left projectors 924, 926. As described above, the presentation system alternates or otherwise controls the electronic display of information by of directing the display screens to a particular projector under the control of a presenter using the graphical user interface provided on the 918 touch screen. While other 920 video sources may occasionally be displayed on any 924 or 926 projector, the Video outputs from ports 910 and 912 are routed through a video switch 922 which is controlled via signals from a port 914 on computer 902. Thus, using the graphical user interface to produce control signals from the port 914, the presenter can control the routing of slides from video ports 910 and 912, as well as control the selection and deselection of signals Alternate video sources from sources 920. Although video switch 922 is represented as a single nx 2 video switch (ie, it has n inputs and 2 outputs), other configurations, such as a pair of 2 x switches 1, could also be used. Alternatively, switch 922 can be omitted if projectors 924 and 926 have multiple input ports. In this alternative, the control signal from port 914 would directly control the appropriate projector to display a selected input. A significant difference between the system 900 of FIG. 9 and the systems described above is that a single touch screen 918 is used instead of a central display 104 and left and right displays 110a, 110b. To accommodate this simplification, the presentation control programs running on the computer 902 use a multi-window labeled interface on the single touch screen 918. FIG. 10 represents an exemplary graphical user interface 1000 for the single screen alternative of FIG. 9. Interface 1000 includes a main display area 1024 that includes three sub-windows 1006, 1008, 1010. The central window 1006 displays the current instructor screen that will be directed to any of the left or right projectors. The left window 1008 displays the currently displayed screen of the left projector and the right window 1010 displays the currently displayed screen of the right projector. The interface 1000 includes the icon of the toolbar 1004 through the top, as well as the respective left and right toolbars 1020 and 1022 along each side. These toolbars provide functionality as previously described, which allows a presenter, for example, to direct pages to one screen or the other, skip pages, send blank pages, roll pages, jump between pages, select an alternative video source (eg, a demonstration computer), and save or select "favorites." Along the top of the interface 1000 is the slow progress bar of the memory 1002 which exhibits a brief note on the current screen of the instructor 1006. Along the bottom of the interface 1000 there are three tabs 1012- 1016 corresponding to a respective one of the sub-windows in the display area 1024. Using the tab of the left display 1012, a user can select the left projector screen for annotation, and using the tab of the right display 1010, the user You can select the right projector screen for annotation. Using the center tab 1014, the user can return the multi-window composite screen 1024 shown in FIG. 10. The graphical user interface 1000 is displayed on the touch screen monitor 918 which provides feedback to the computer 902 through the communications port 906. The annotations and toolbar selections can be made from the composite screen 1024; however, selecting one of the current display screens 1008, 1010 will allow finer control over any annotation. One of the display screens can be selected using the appropriate tab (1012 or 1016) or simply by selecting one of the windows (1008 or 1010) using one of the input devices 916. FIG. Ll represents a snapshot 1100 exemplary graphical user interface 1000 once the left screen 1008 (for example) is selected for annotation. As shown in FIG. 11, the screen tabs 1012-1016 remain at the bottom of the snapshot 1100 and the toolbar on the left screen side 1020 remains on the left side of the snapshot 1100. Instead of the composite screen 1024, without However, the current screen of the left projector is displayed 1008, so as to almost fill the display area. Along the top of the snapshot 1100 is the area of the slow advance of the memory 1102 for the current screen of the left projector, and near the bottom of the snapshot 1100 is the annotation toolbar 1104. The details of the annotation toolbar were described above with respect to FIG. 7, and its icons provide tools and functions that simplify the annotation of the screen currently displayed. These annotations appear in real time during the presentation to improve the dynamic nature of a presentation provided using the system 900. The arrangement of the snapshot 1100 and the interface 1000 are exemplary in nature. Of course, other toolbars, screen layouts, icon labels, and functionally equivalent features are contemplated within further embodiments of the present invention, involving multiple slides displayed on the left and right side displays, the zooming functionality allows to display a single slide, in different ways, on both screens on the left and right. FIG. 12 represents a view of an instructor screen as indicated by the tab 1210 at the bottom of the screen. As previously described, this screen displays a next slide 1204 and also a 1206 copy of what is being displayed on the right side screen and a 1208 copy of what is being displayed on the left side screen. In the particular situation represented in FIG. 12, known as split screen mode, a current slide is displayed on both the left side and the right side. For example, window 1206 shows the upper portion of the current slide while window 1208 shows the lower portion of the current slide. There is a certain portion of overlap 1212 that appears in both windows and this portion 1212 may be shaded or otherwise visually distinguished to assist an observer to recognize that this information is in both windows. A "zoom" tool 1202 is available to the presenter, which allows additional control of how the current slide is displayed. FIG. 13 depicts how the display windows change once the zoom tool 1202 is selected. While window 1204 remains the same, display windows 1304 and 1302 change their behavior. In the right side window 1302, the current full slide is shown as being displayed on the right side display screen. In a preferred embodiment, the display screen on the left side is blank. However, the left side window 1304 may include useful instructions for the presenter suggesting, for example, that a portion of the slide be selected to allow "approach". In practice, the presenter would then use the selected tool 1306 to select a portion of the slide displayed in the window. There is much similarity between the tools and the facilities available in the alternative display system of FIGs. 9-12 and those described and explained with respect to FIGS. 1-8. Nevertheless, in the alternative arrangement, there is preferably a touch screen to control the three video outputs. Thus, a presenter changes from image to image on the touch screen rather than recording on three separate touch screens. A typical use of this system would begin with selecting the "Chapter" button to load a chapter of multiple screens for the presentation. Using the instructor screen as the control interface for the presentation application, alternate pages are sent to the left and right using the left and right buttons of the toolbar. Alternatively, default preferences could be stored, which automatically control how the screens are directed for presentation. To annotate in a particular projected image, the annotation tools can be used in the smaller display windows found in the instructor interface of the FIG. 10. Alternatively, the presenter should select one of the current projector screens (by clicking on the window or using the tab button), then the corresponding left or right screen image is enlarged to almost fill almost the screen area of the screen. touch as shown in FIG. 11. This allows the annotation to be applied much more exactly to the enlarged window. Once any annotation is completed, clicking on the "Instructor Screen" tab will cause the composite screen of multiple instructor windows to reappear, so that the presentation can continue. Figures 12, 13 and 14 illustrate an "approach" functionality that can be used within the environment of multiple exhibitors of FIG. 1 or the environment of a display screen of FIG. 9. Since the functionality is substantially the same in both environments, the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 12-14 is simply the ambience of an exhibition screen. In addition to the scenarios described above 1302, this tool preferably uses a click-and-drag operation that is familiar to most computer users. FIG. 14 depicts how the windows change once a portion 1404 of slide 1402 has been selected with tool 1306. In particular, the display screen on the left side is not already erased, but exhibits an "approximate" portion of the slide as shown in the left side window 1406. The display of the slide in window 1402 also changes to include some visual cues, such as shading, which highlights the selected portion 1404. Window 1204 continues to show the next slide in the presentation. As for the annotation, in both, the left-side window 1406 and the right-hand side window 1402 can be annotated using the tools and methods described above. While particular embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it should be understood that several different modifications are possible and are contemplated within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims. There is no intention, therefore, to limit the exact summary or disclosure presented herein.

Claims (34)

1. CLAIMS 1. - A system that provides electronic presentations, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by a programmable computer; a first display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a first video input signal; a second display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a second video input signal; a third display screen coupled with the programmable computer and having a third video input signal; an application for controlling the presentation stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer; and the programmable computer being configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by means of which each of the plurality of slides is sent for display to any of the first or second display screen, wherein said interface is configured to display simultaneously: a first window that exhibits a first image corresponding to the first video input signal; a second window displaying a second image corresponding to the second video signal; and a third window that displays an image of a next presentation slide.
2. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of slides is arranged in a presentation file.
3. 3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that it additionally comprises: a plurality of presentation files stored in the first memory; and wherein the presentation control application is further configured to: display a list of the plurality of presentation files through the interface, and select a presentation file based on the input received through the interface.
4. 4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that it additionally comprises: a video switch having a plurality of inputs coupled with said programmable computer and a plurality of outputs coupled with said first and second display screens, said video being configurable to selectively connect any of its inputs to any of its outputs.
5. 5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that it additionally comprises: a demonstration computer that provides demonstration video output coupled with a particular input of the video switch, wherein the presentation control application is configured to direct the demonstration video output to any of the first or second display screens.
6. 6. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that it additionally comprises preference data associated with the presentation file, said preference data being stored in the first memory and including one or more entries, each entry being associated with a slide of the presentation file; and wherein said display control application is configured to automatically send a particular slide to any of the first or second display screens based on an entry in the preference data that corresponds to that particular slide. 7. - The system in accordance with the claim 6, characterized in that after sending the particular slide, the presentation control application retrieves the next slide in the presentation file. 8. The system in accordance with the claim 7, characterized in that the third display screen is a touch screen device. 9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that it additionally comprises: a slide annotation application that runs on the programmable computer and that interfaces with the presentation control application. 10. The system according to claim 9, characterized in that said interface further comprises a selection mechanism configured to select one of the first and second windows for annotation and to initiate the application of annotation on a slide. 11. The system according to claim. 10, characterized in that the third display screen is configured to respectively provide the tactile feedback information to the slide annotation application and wherein the display control application is configured to modify one of the first and second input signals of the display. video based on the respective tactile feedback information and the selected window. 12. The system according to claim 11, characterized in that the slide annotation application is configured to store in the first memory an annotation history file based on the respective tactile feedback information. 13. The system according to claim 12, characterized in that the presentation control application is configured to retrieve any annotation history file associated with a particular slide sent for display, and the display of that particular slide in any of The first, second or third display screens are modified according to the annotation history file. 14. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that: said first video input signal corresponds to a representation of the full view of a current presentation slide; said second video input signal corresponds to an enlarged representation of a portion of the current presentation slide. 15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that said presentation control application further comprises a selection tool for selecting the portion of the current presentation slide. 16. A method for providing an electronic presentation of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: providing a display control interface on a central display screen; displaying a slide, from among the plurality of slides, in a preview window within the presentation control interface; receive input through the presentation control interface that indicates whether to direct the slide to a right display screen or to a left display screen; send the slide for display in the indicated display screen; display, simultaneously with the slide in the preview window within the control interface of the presentation, a first window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the right display screen and a second window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the left display screen, and retrieve a next slide for display in the preview window. 17.- The method according to the claim 16, characterized in that it additionally comprises the steps of: recovering a first list of presentation files, each said presentation file comprising a respective plurality of slides; display the first list on the central screen through the presentation control interface; and selecting one of the presentation files, for the electronic presentation, based on the input received in response to the display of the first list. 18.- The method of compliance with the claim 17, characterized in that it additionally comprises the steps of: recovering preferences data associated with the presentation file; determine if the received input indicates the automatic sending of the slide; and refer to an entry in the preferences data to determine which display screen to send the slide to. 19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of: directing the video output of a demonstration computer to any of the left or right screens instead of a presentation slide. 20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that the step of directing includes the step of: selectively controlling a video switch that includes an input coupled to the demonstration computer and respective outputs coupled to the left and right screens. right. 21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of: outputting the slide as video data on the right side if the slide is sent to the right display screen; and output the slide as video data from the left side if the slide is directed to the left display screen. 22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that it additionally comprises the steps of: selecting one of the first window and the second window through the presentation control interface; and displaying the selected window substantially to fill the central display screen. 23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that it additionally comprises the step of: providing an annotation application associated with the central display screen which is a touch screen device. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that: the annotation application is configured to receive feedback from the central display screen indicating overlay graphic data associated with a particular slide corresponding to the selected window. 25. - The method according to claim 24, characterized in that it additionally comprises the step of: adjusting the video data of the right side based on the overlay graphic data, if the selected window corresponds to the right display screen; and adjust the left side video data based on the overlay graphic data, if the selected window corresponds to the left display screen. 26. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that it additionally comprises the step of: storing any overlay graphic data. 27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that it additionally comprises the steps of: recalling a particular slide for exhibition; recover any stored overlay graphic data associated with the redial slide; display the redial slide together with the overlay graphic data retrieved in the preview screen; and sending the recalled slide and the recovered overlay graphic data to either the left side or the right side screen 28. A method for providing an electronic display of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: providing a presentation control interface on a central display screen; displaying a slide, from a plurality of slides, in a preview window within the presentation control interface; receive input through the presentation control interface that indicates whether to display a current slide in split-screen mode or in close-up mode; simultaneously display with the slide in the preview window within the presentation control interface, a first window corresponding to a first portion of the current slide for display on a right display screen and a second window corresponding to a second portion of the current slide for display on a left display screen. 29.- The method of compliance with the claim 28, characterized in that in approach mode, the first portion is the current full slide and the second portion is an enlarged portion of the current slide. 30.- The method of compliance with the claim 28, characterized in that in approach mode, the second portion is the current full slide and the first portion is an enlarged portion of the current slide. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that it additionally comprises the step of: receiving input through the presentation control interface indicating a selected portion of the current slide to expand. 32. A computer-readable medium that carries instructions to provide an electronic presentation of a plurality of slides using multiple display screens, said instructions being arranged to cause one or more processors, to execute them, to perform the steps of : provide a presentation control interface on a central display screen; displaying a slide, from a plurality of slides, in a preview window within the presentation control interface; receive input through the presentation control interface that indicates whether to direct the slide to a right display screen or to a left display screen; send the slide for display in the indicated display screen; display, simultaneously with the slide in the preview window within the control interface of the presentation, a first window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the right display screen and a second window corresponding to any slide currently displayed on the left display screen; and retrieve a next slide for display in the preview window. 33.- A system that provides electronic presentations, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of presentation slides stored in a first memory accessible by a programmable computer; a first display screen coupled to the programmable computer and having a first video input signal; a second display screen coupled to the programmable computer and having a second video input signal; a third display screen coupled to the programmable computer and having a third video input signal; an application for controlling the presentation stored in a second memory accessible by the programmable computer; and the programmable computer being configured to execute the presentation control application to provide an interface, displayed on the third display screen, by means of which each of the plurality of slides is sent for display to any one of the first or second display screens, and wherein said first video input signal corresponds to a full view representation of a current presentation slide and said second said video input signal corresponds to an enlarged representation of a portion of the presentation slide current. 34. - The system according to claim 33, characterized in that said presentation control application additionally comprises a selection tool for selecting the portion of the current presentation slide.