Emissive shapes and control systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for ubiquitous access to information, such as laptops and portable devices, are burdensome to transport, prone to damage, theft, and do not provide optimal screen space for collaborative work, leading to productivity issues and increased costs due to the need for separate workstations and collaboration spaces.
Innovation Solution
Emissive surface configurations, including horizontal, ridge, and valley surfaces, arranged in specific juxtapositions to create workstations that allow for individual and collaborative work without the need for multiple devices, enabling seamless sharing and access to personal content through integrated display and input technologies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If portable personal computing devices are provided to employees for ubiquitous access to information, then employees can access and share information at any location, but the devices have relatively small display screens that are insufficient for collaborative work and require additional peripheral devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple display surfaces (laptop screen, peripheral displays, projection surfaces) into a unified collaborative workspace that can be configured in different arrangements. The system merges portable computing devices with stationary peripheral devices to create a hybrid workspace that provides both portability and large display area for collaboration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the display area from two-dimensional laptop screens to three-dimensional multi-surface configurations including vertical surfaces, horizontal surfaces, and projection surfaces. This adds spatial dimensions to the display area, enabling collaborative work across multiple planes and orientations.
2Productivity
If additional stationary peripheral devices are provided for collaborative work, then employees can view and manipulate content in multiple applications simultaneously, but the overall device complexity and transportation burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs peripheral devices that can serve multiple functions: displaying content, providing input capabilities, and configuring in different arrangements for individual or collaborative work. The system allows a single set of peripherals to adapt between portable and stationary modes, reducing the need for separate devices for different work scenarios.
3Ease of operation
If laptops are used for portable computing, then employees have adjustable display angles and some privacy, but the laptop form factor is larger and more difficult to transport compared to other personal computing devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the computing function from the display function, allowing the computing device to remain portable while the display can be configured in various sizes and orientations. The system divides the workspace into modular components that can be transported separately and assembled at the destination.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for sharing information in a space comprising a first two dimensional outer emissive surface, a first two dimensional inner emissive surface, a support structure resting on and extending upward from the support floor, the support structure supporting the first outer emissive surface with a first outer surface bottom edge at a work surface height, a first outer surface top edge at a ridge height above the work surface height and supporting the first inner emissive surface with a first inner surface bottom edge at a valley height below the work surface height, a first inner surface top edge at a height above the work surface height, the first inner emissive surface spaced behind the first outer emissive surface by at least twelve inches to form a space between the first outer emissive surface and the first inner emissive surfaces.