Patents Assigned to SMART Technologies ULC
  • Method and graphical interface for embedding animated content into a computer application
    Patent number: 8675015
    Abstract: A method of displaying a computer application comprising a plurality of objects within an initially transparent application window comprises creating an animated content window below the application window for each animated content object of the computer application and directing the player responsible for playing the animated content object to draw the animated content directly therein. The objects of the computer application are examined and a clipping mask for each animated content object corresponding generally to the animated content window created therefor is defined. Starting from bottom to top, an object from the list is selected. If the selected object is not an animated content object, the object is drawn within the application window except in areas corresponding to the clipping masks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Taco van Ieperen
  • Passive touch system and method of detecting user input
    Patent number: 8669959
    Abstract: A passive touch system includes a passive touch surface and at least two cameras associated with the touch surface. The at least two cameras acquire images of the touch surface from different locations and have overlapping fields of view. A processor receives and processes images acquired by the at least two cameras to detect the existence of a pointer therein and to determine the location of the pointer relative to the touch surface. Actual pointer contact with the touch surface and pointer hover above the touch surface can be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Gerald Morrison, Mavinder Singh
  • Participant response system employing battery powered, wireless remote units
    Patent number: 8639961
    Abstract: A participant response system (50) comprises at least one host computer (52) and a plurality of battery-powered remote units (62) communicating wirelessly with the host computer (52). Each remote unit (62) executes a diagnostic routine in response to a received status request broadcast by the host computer (52) to detect the status thereof. Any remote unit (62) that detects an unhealthy state, returns health information to the host computer (52).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Hannah Doerksen, Michael Boyle
  • INTERACTIVE SYSTEM WITH SUCCESSIVELY ACTIVATED ILLUMINATION SOURCES
    Publication number: 20140022448
    Abstract: An illumination assembly for an interactive input system (20), comprises at least one imaging device (60) capturing image frames of a region of interest; a plurality of illumination sources (84a, 84b, 84c) associated sociated with the imaging device and being located at different positions relative to the imaging device, the illumination sources providing illumination to the region of interest; and a controller (72) communicating with the illumination sources, the controller conditioning the illumination sources so that the illumination sources provide illumination to the region of interest in succession, the timing of image frame capture by the imaging device being coordinated with the illumination pattern of the illumination sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2011
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: SMART TECHNOLOGIES ULC
    Inventors: Grant McGibney, David Holmgren, Lawrence Bruce Hewitt
  • Method and tool for recognizing a hand-drawn table
    Patent number: 8634645
    Abstract: A computerized method of recognizing an input hand-drawn table formed by freeform line objects comprises transforming each freeform line object of the table into one of a vertical line segment and a horizontal line segment, generating a grid system based on the vertical and horizontal line segments and converting the generated grid system into a table object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Zhaohui Xing
  • Interactive input system and illumination system therefor
    Patent number: 8624835
    Abstract: An interactive input system includes at least one illumination source emitting radiation into a region of interest; at least one imaging assembly capturing image frames of the region of interest, the at least one illumination source being in the field of view of the at least one imaging assembly; and a controller communicating with the at least one illumination source, the controller controlling the intensity of radiation emitted by the at least one illumination source during image frame capture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Trevor Mitchell Akitt
  • Interactive input system and tool tray therefor
    Patent number: 8619027
    Abstract: A tool tray for an interactive input system comprises a housing having an upper surface defining at least one receptacle sized to receive a tool for interacting with an interactive surface, a sensor configured to detect the presence of the tool within the receptacle and at least one display in communication with the sensor. The display is configured to present a pointer attribute selection screen upon removal of the tool from the receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Doug Hill, Michael Rounding, Michael Trenholm-Boyle, Edward Tse
  • SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SODIUM AZIDE BASED SUPPRESSION OF FIRES
    Publication number: 20130333902
    Abstract: A fire suppressing gas generator includes a cylindrical housing comprising an array of discharge ports distributed generally uniformly therearound; a cylindrical filter disposed within the housing and spaced from the interior wall of the housing; a plurality of azide-based propellant grains inside the cylindrical filter; and at least one ignition device associated with the propellant grains. The propellant grains when ignited by the ignition device generate a fire suppressing gas which passes through the filter and out of the discharge ports of the cylindrical housing for delivery into a space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventor: SMART Technologies ULC
  • Interactive input system and method
    Patent number: 8600107
    Abstract: A method of determining locations of at least two pointers in a captured image frame comprises generating a vertical intensity profile (VIP) from the captured image frame, the VIP comprising peaks generally corresponding to the at least two pointers; determining if the peaks are closely spaced and, if the peaks are closely spaced, fitting a curve to the VIP; analyzing the fitted curve to determine peak locations of the fitted curve; and registering the peak locations as the pointer locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventor: David Holmgren
  • Method and tool for recognizing a hand-drawn table
    Patent number: 8600164
    Abstract: A computerized method of recognizing an input hand-drawn table formed by freeform line objects comprises transforming each freeform line object of the table into one of a vertical line segment and a horizontal line segment, generating a grid system based on the vertical and horizontal line segments and converting the generated grid system into a table object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Zhaohui Xing, Luqing Wang
  • Image projection methods and interactive input/projection systems employing the same
    Patent number: 8591039
    Abstract: An image projecting method comprises determining the position of a projection surface within a projection zone of at least one projector based on at least one image of the projection surface, the projection zone being sized to encompass multiple surface positions and modifying video image data output to the at least one projector so that the projected image corresponds generally to the projection surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Gerald D. Morrison, Paul Anthony Auger, Mark Andrew Fletcher, Gregory Gordon Forrest, Holly Pekau
  • Pointer tracking across multiple overlapping coordinate input sub-regions defining a generally contiguous input region
    Patent number: 8576172
    Abstract: A touch system comprises overlapping coordinate input sub-regions defining a generally contiguous input surface. Each coordinate input sub-region generates pointer coordinate data in response to pointer contacts thereon. When a pointer contact is made on a region of a coordinate input sub-region that overlaps with an adjacent coordinate input sub-region, each overlapping coordinate input sub-region processes acquired images to derive pointer data and triangulates the position of the pointer using the derived pointer data. Thereafter, the triangulated positions generated by the overlapping coordinate input sub-regions are processed in accordance with defined logic thereby to determine the position of the pointer contact relative to the touch surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Douglas B. Hill, Scott Yu Tseng Su, David E. Holmgren
  • INTERACTIVE INPUT SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20130257716
    Abstract: A method of operating an interactive input system, comprises detecting user interaction with an interactive surface; acquiring schedule information from a scheduler; and transitioning said interactive input system to an operating mode according to at least one of said user interaction and said schedule information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SMART TECHNOLOGIES ULC
    Inventors: MIN XIN, DOUGLAS BLAIR HILL, ALEXANDER GARIN
  • INTERACTIVE INPUT SYSTEM AND METHOD
    Publication number: 20130257815
    Abstract: An interactive input system comprises a display panel defining an interactive surface, the display panel comprising a light sensitive layer configured to sense illumination impinging thereon; and processing structure in communication with the display panel, said processing structure processing output of the light sensitive layer to detect at least one pointer in proximity with the interactive surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SMART TECHNOLOGIES ULC
    Inventors: ROBBIE RATTRAY, DAVID GREGORY POPOVICH
  • METHOD FOR ORGANIZING A COLLABORATIVE EVENT AND SYSTEM EMPLOYING SAME
    Publication number: 20130262686
    Abstract: A method of establishing a collaborative event comprises creating an event session having an event identifier and setting up a wireless network to which one or more participant computing devices can connect having a network identifier associated with said event identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SMART TECHNOLOGIES ULC
    Inventors: DOUGLAS BLAIR HILL, LUQING WANG, ANDREW LEUNG, PAUL VANETTI, DOUGLAS JOHN BROWN, MIN XIN, ASHRAF BADAWI, GISELLE GONCALVES, DAVID POPOVICH, EDWARD TSE, MICHAEL BOYLE
  • METHOD FOR GENERALLY CONTINUOUSLY CALIBRATING AN INTERACTIVE INPUT SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20130257822
    Abstract: A method for generally continuously calibrating an interactive input system, the interactive input system comprising at least two imaging devices having fields of view encompassing a region of interest, at least one of the imaging devices calibrated using a projection matrix having an associated quality metric, the method comprises estimating new values for parameters of the projection matrix based on a plurality of computed locations of at least one pointer brought into proximity with the region of interest; calculating a new quality metric using the new parameter values; and if the new quality metric is more accurate than the existing quality metric, updating the projection matrix using the new parameter values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: David Holmgren, Daniel Mcreynolds, Grant McGibney
  • INTERACTIVE INPUT SYSTEM AND PEN TOOL THEREFOR
    Publication number: 20130257825
    Abstract: A pen tool comprises an elongate body, a tip adjacent one end the body, and a filtered reflector disposed on the body, the filtered reflector comprising a reflecting portion and a filtering element, the filtering element configured to permit illumination emitted at a selected wavelength to pass therethrough and impinge on the reflecting portion and to permit illumination at the selected wavelength that is reflected by the reflecting portion to exit the filtered reflector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SMART TECHNOLOGIES ULC
    Inventor: SEAN THOMPSON
  • Portion of a display screen with graphical user interface
    Patent number: D690721
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Kimberly Tee, Ping-Kwan Lai, Colin Dere
  • Camera
    Patent number: D698380
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventor: Mark Andrew Fletcher
  • Interactive display device
    Patent number: D701570
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: SMART Technologies ULC
    Inventors: Mark Fletcher, Phillip Benson, Alan Boykiw, Carolyn Evans, Kevin Salt