System and method for point to point integration of personal computers with videoconferencing systems
View Patent ↗A system and method for integrating a personal computer based presentation with a videoconferencing system. A coupling device includes a card, insertable into a PCMCIA slot of a laptop computer or like machine, which includes a cable coupled to the card at a first end and to a connector coupled at a second end. The card includes firmware for loading into RAM of the computer and software operable to execute code.
1. An apparatus for conducting videoconferences, the apparatus comprising:
a videoconferencing system at a local site configured to be coupled via a network connection to a remote videoconferencing system; and
a personal computer coupled to the videoconferencing system via a local area network, wherein the personal computer executes software to cause the personal computer to stream a compressed and scaled image from the personal computer to the videoconferencing system for display as a live graphic on a remote monitor;
wherein bandwidth of the network connection between the videoconferencing system and the remote videoconferencing system is dynamically shared between the compressed and scaled image from the personal computer and a video image of a participant at the local site.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the personal computer presents a presentation control user interface to a user for control of the compressed and scaled image transmitted to the videoconferencing system.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the compressed and scaled presentation image is displayed locally by the videoconferencing system.
4. An apparatus for conducting videoconferences, the apparatus comprising:
a videoconferencing system at a local site configured to be coupled via a network connection to a remote videoconferencing system; and
a personal computer coupled to the videoconferencing system via a local area network, wherein the personal computer executes software to cause the personal computer to stream a compressed and scaled image from the personal computer to the videoconferencing system for display as a live graphic on a remote monitor;
wherein the videoconferencing system serves as a DHCP server to the personal computer over the local area network.
5. A method of integrating presentation content with a videoconference, the method comprising:
executing, on a personal computer, software causing a compressed and scaled image from the personal computer to be transmitted to a videoconferencing system coupled to the personal computer via a local area network;
receiving at the videoconferencing system the compressed and scaled image; and
transmitting the compressed and scaled image from the videoconferencing system to a remote videoconferencing system via a network connection;
whereby the compressed and scaled image can be displayed by the remote videoconferencing system;
wherein transmitting the compressed and scaled image from the videoconferencing system to a remote videoconferencing system via a network connection further comprises dynamically sharing bandwidth between the compressed and scaled image and a video image of a local participant at the videoconferencing system.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising executing, on the personal computer, software causing a presentation control user interface to be displayed to a user.