Mobile Gateway for Meeting Room Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Employees without laptop computers face difficulties in controlling meeting room components, such as projectors and environmental settings, as they often need to leave their seats or ask others to adjust these settings, disrupting meetings.

Innovation Solution

A system allowing mobile devices, like smartphones, to control meeting room components and presentation tools through a gateway that interprets commands for room and presentation components, enabling users to control lighting, temperature, projectors, and presentations remotely using gestures or interface controls.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a control unit is installed in the meeting room, then room components can be controlled, but meeting participants must leave their seats or ask others to adjust settings, causing disruptions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol accessibilityVSAvoidmeeting efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the meeting participant and the control unit. The mobile device receives control commands from the participant and relays them to the control unit, enabling remote control without physical presence at the control unit location. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by making control accessible while eliminating the need to leave seats during meetings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If employees do not carry laptop computers, then portability is improved, but ability to give presentations and perform meeting control functions is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveportabilityVSAvoidpresentation capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables mobile devices to perform multiple functions including presentation control, room component control, and communication. By making the mobile device a universal control tool that can interface with various meeting room systems, the patent restores presentation capabilities to employees using portable devices, eliminating the need to carry dedicated laptops while maintaining full meeting functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2625821B1Mobile telephone hosted meeting controls
Publication Date: 2018.09.19 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP2625821B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2625821B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2625821B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

Technologies are described herein for controlling components associated with a room using a mobile phone. A gateway is configured to receive a command from a mobile phone. Upon receiving the command, the gateway determines whether the command is a room command or a presentation command. If the command is a room command, the gateway causes the room component to respond to the room component. If the command received is a presentation command, the gateway causes the presentation component to respond to the presentation command. A user may input commands to the mobile phone by making gestures with or on a screen of the mobile phone, by utilizing phone keys of the mobile phone, or by interacting with user interface controls displayed on the mobile phone.