Appeal No. 2004-0820
Application No. 09/317,312 Page 8
systems have a single pointer icon that is shared among the
conference participants. When one user is finished using the
pointer, the user must relinquish control. Pointer control is
then acquired by another user, or reacquired by the previous user
(col. 1, lines 52-60). All conference users can have pointer
icons that are simultaneously active. However, it can be
confusing if there are many participants and they all try to use
their pointers simultaneously, resulting in a crowded work area
(col. 2, lines 1-10). From this background, Glaser asserts that
there is a need for a conference support system that permits each
one of multiple workstation users to control pointers during a
conference (col. 2, lines 13-18). In the Summary of the
Invention, Glaser discloses that the system uses multiple user
terminals, which includes a display having a common working area.
Each user has a pointer icon that: can be used across all of the
display screens; provides a representation of all conference
participants, and displays a line from the pointer icon to the
representation of the user (col. 2, lines 21-31). In one aspect
of the invention, each user controls a pointer icon. The user's
pointer icon and the line connecting the representation of the
user with the user's pointer icon is displayed on the screens of
the other participants if the user has taken a specific action,
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007