Patent ID: 6710797
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: G02B,G03B,H04N

Abstract:
An 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:an image display with an image bearing surface; 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; and a positioning mechanism means so that the reflection of the image bearing surface is adjustable in a location it resides; and a room environment with common objects, providing visual reference to the residing location of the reflection within the room environment, the room environment viewed by the first conferee through the semireflective transparent panel.