Patent ID: 6243130
Filing Date: 2001-06-05
Classification: G02B,H04N

Abstract:
An integrated eye contact teleconferencing terminal for allowing a first conferee to maintain eye contact with a second conferee imaged by the teleconferencing terminal, the teleconferencing terminal comprising:a substantially planar image display, with an image bearing surface facing upward;a semireflective transparent panel forming an angle of between about 30 and 60 degrees with the image display for viewing by the first conferee a reflection of the image bearing surface of the image display on the semireflective transparent panel;a video camera disposed on a side of the semireflective transparent panel opposite the image display, the video camera capturing, through the semireflective transparent panel, an image of the first conferee who is disposed on the image display-side of the semireflective transparent panel;a connecting mechanism means so that the semireflective transparent panel and the image display can be closed upon one another; anda positioning mechanism means so that the semireflective transparent panel, while closed upon the image display, does not substantially overhang a keyboard area between the first conferee and the image display.