Patent ID: 8300785

Claim:
A telepresence technologies configuration for allowing a user in a home location to see a substantially life-size image of a person from a remote location appearing in front of an apparent backdrop within a room setting and achieving an apparent eye contact while allowing for two-way interaction in real time for communication, the telepresence technologies configuration comprising: a first telepresence communications system to capture a video image and audio of the person in the remote location; a remote location codec to encode outgoing video image and audio signals and decode incoming video image and audio signals; a network connection to transmit two-way communications signals between said home location and said remote location; a home location codec to decode incoming video and audio signals from the remote location and code outgoing video image and audio signals for transmission to the remote location; a second telepresence communications system in the home location to display an image of the person from the remote location on a first image display device and project audio of the person from a speaker system; and at least one of the first telepresence communications system and the second telepresence communications system comprising: a second image display device having an image area substantially surrounded by an enclosure, the image area being positioned substantially within a vertical plane, the plane positioned for viewing by the user in an observation zone; a two-way mirror positioned between said observation zone and said second image display device and angled to reflect a backdrop; said backdrop being positioned adjacent said two-way mirror so that a reflection of a left edge and a right edge of said backdrop in said two-way mirror substantially aligns with a left and right edge, respectively of said enclosure when viewed from said observation zone; a camera located in said backdrop, such that said camera views said observation zone as a reflection off said two-way mirror; and a light-absorbing panel positioned above said two-way mirror opposite said camera and located in the view of said camera through said two-way mirror as said camera is aligned to view said reflection of said observation zone off said two-way mirror.