Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Other

Interval Licensing LLC

Interval Research Corporation

Elin Ronby Pedersen

Lester D Nelson

Satoshi Ichimura

Debby Hindus

Sean Michael White

Scott D Mainwaring

William Gaver

Stephen W Smoliar

Lia Adams

Tomas Sokoler

A variable bandwidth communication system includes a first and a second communication station, coupled for continuous, bi-directional communication. The first communication station is capable of transmitting at a first and a second bandwidth, and is capable of receiving at a third and a fourth bandwidth. The second communication station is capable of receiving at the first and second bandwidth and is capable of transmitting at the third and fourth bandwidth. The transmitting bandwidth of each station is selectable by the user. The second bandwidth is greater than the first and the fourth bandwidth is greater than the third. Preferably, but not necessarily, the first and third bandwidth like the second and fourth bandwidth are about the same. The first communication system can display communication received at the fourth bandwidth at the first bandwidth, and the second communication system can display communications received at the second bandwidth at the third bandwidth.

Variable bandwidth communication systems and methods

Systems and methods for negotiating a future communication are provided to facilitate interaction between persons who wish to interact but who presently may not be in a position or find it desirable to do so. Each party may be provided with an interaction manager that allows the parties to negotiate future time(s) for future communication by ascertaining mutually available free time and selecting from among these times. The parties may also elect to defer a communication until a particular communication channel becomes available.

Systems and methods for managing electronic communications using various negotiation techniques

A technique for managing and representing dynamic context information. The system can manage local and remote activity information including sensor and computer application generated events such as calendar reminders. The technique allows users to store contextual relationship information associating an activity stream with temporary changes in the user interface that lie just outside a user's focus of attention in dynamic stylesheets. The dynamic stylesheets can be applied across work groups or companies and provide a similar contextual work environment. The dynamic stylesheets can also be customized to the specific needs of an individual. The techniques can be expanded beyond the computer desktop focus to include a user's complete work environment.

Method and apparatus for management and representation of dynamic context

A presentation control system and method to facilitate the interaction between a user and a presentation device. The user generates tangible sensible identification devices, which are linked to items to be displayed in a presentation. In use, the user places the tangible sensible identification-carrying device in the sensible area of an identification sensing device. The identification sensing device reads an identification from the identification-carrying device and determines a presentation element identified by the identification. The presentation element is then displayed via a presentation display device. Alternatively, the user generates one or more control identification devices which are linked to controllable element(s) to be controlled in a presentation. In use, the user places the controllable identification-carrying device in the sensible area of a control identification sensing device. The control identification sensing device reads a control identification from the control identification-carrying device and determines a control element identified by the identification. The function associated with the selected element is then performed.

Systems and methods for controlling a presentation using physical objects

In a presentation control system environment, the methods and systems of this invention manipulate presentation elements to create a unified display characteristic between the elements selected for presentation. In particular, the systems and methods of this invention receive style identification information that corresponds to at least one attribute tags within a presentation element. A stylizer then manipulates the attribute tags to invoke style preferences governed by the style identification. Therefore, a unified, or customized, look can be achieved with any requested presentation element.

Systems and methods for maintaining uniformity in a presentation environment

A presentation control system and method facilitates the interaction between a user and a presentation device. The user generates tangible sensible identification devices, which are linked to items to be displayed in a presentation. In use, the user places the tangible sensible identification-carrying device, in the sensible area of an identification sensing device. The identification sensing device reads a presentation element identification from the identification-carrying device and determines a presentation element identified by the presentation element identification. The presentation element is then displayed via a presentation display device.

A tactile guidance system and method provides a user with navigational assistance through continuous background communication. This continuous background communication is realized through tactile cueing. By making the direction giving through tactile cues, a user's main attention can focus on visual and auditory cues in the real world, instead of focusing on the direction giving device itself. An electronic compass maintains the orientation of a user. A navigation state is maintained as a combination of orientation, location and destination. A guidance server provides a mapping from a user's current location to directions to a desired destination. Communication links maintain communication between the tactile direction device and the guidance server. The compass, tactile direction device, communication links and guidance server all interact to provide direction information to a user via a tactile surface. The tactile direction device is small enough to be hand-held or incorporated, for example, into a briefcase handle.

Systems and methods providing tactile guidance using sensory supplementation

A variable bandwidth communication system includes a first communication station and a second communication station coupled to the first communication station for continuous, by directional communication. The first communication station is capable of transmitting at a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth greater than the first bandwidth, and is capable of receiving at a third bandwidth and a fourth bandwidth greater than the third bandwidth. The transmitting bandwidth of the first communication station is selectable by first user. The second communication station is capable of receiving at the first bandwidth and at the second bandwidth and is capable at transmitting at the third bandwidth and the fourth bandwidth. Again, the transmitting bandwidth of the second communication station is selectable by the second user. Preferably, but not necessarily, the first bandwidth and the third bandwidth are about the same, and the second bandwidth and the fourth bandwidth are about the same. The first communication system is capable of displaying communication received at the fourth bandwidth at a first lower bandwidth display level, and the second communication system is capable of displaying communications received at the second bandwidth at a second lower bandwidth display level. In this fashion, two or more users can interact at a variety of threshold levels dependent upon the user's desires for privacy and/or high bandwidth communications.

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Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Elin Ronby Pedersen