Brilliant Points, Inc.
Products
Many presenters make use of optical pointers such as laser pointers during their presentations. Presentations have evolved across the past couple of decades from extremely basic to quite complex, as the capabilities of the presentation design software packages have been enhanced. Unfortunately there remain significant restrictions on the typical computer-based presentation. First, a presentation must, almost by definition, advance sequentially from slide to slide. This requires that a presentation be timed to advance automatically at preset times forcing the presenter to a rigid pace, or requires that the presenter remain near the computer in order to control the presentation, or forces the presenter to carry some kind of remote-control device with wires or RF problems, or incurs the added cost of an assistant who advances the slides on cue. If a presenter wishes to skip slides or go back to earlier slides they must access the keyboard on the computer, or sequentially cycle past the undesired slides, or inform their assistant which slide is desired and hope they understand and locate it. Second, a presentation cannot demonstrate complex applications, but must resort to screen-demos or pre-built demo videos to show how an application works, completely removing the presenter from the demonstration. If a presenter wishes to fully demonstrate an application, they become tied to the computer keyboard and mouse while they run the application. Yet another complication is that a presenter typically wears a wireless microphone, carries some form of wireless computer remote which may interfere with the wireless microphone and has restricted usefulness, and uses a laser pointer as well.
Brilliant Points, Inc., resolves these and other presentation problems by turning the common laser pointer into a general computer input device, making possible mouse control and full keyboard computer interaction without wires, RF, or requiring direct access to the computer keyboard/mouse. The Company’s technology frees a presenter to incorporate anything into a presentation, makes possible substantially more complex presentations, and eliminates the need for an “assistant” whose sole role is “keyboardist” during a presentation. Using a Brilliant Points enhanced presentation system, a presenter can demonstrate any aspect of a computer application without having to touch the computer’s mouse or keyboard.
Brilliant Points intends to revolutionize the computer presentation environment by placing Brilliant Points technology in each “business presentation seat”. A presentation seat is defined as a computer and a business projector. Placing Brilliant Points technology into this seat requires addition of a camera (high-quality Webcam, approx. $100 to $200), an optical pointer (approx. $50), and Brilliant Points software (approx. $50 to $150), for a combined total ($200 to $400) which is a small fraction of the cost of the computer and projector combined ($4000 to $30,000). We are confident that businesses will seek to acquire Brilliant Points technology as they see our technology in use in the marketplace.
Brilliant Points intends to build itself around four product areas:
- Core technology licenses
- LaserBoard™ SDK kits and/or licenses
- Presentation seat “upgrade” kits
- Complex and/or Secure pointer technology products and licenses.
Our customers are businesses and individuals who purchase business projector systems for “presentation environments” such as boardrooms, conference rooms, lecture halls, home entertainment systems, etc. Such environments are ideal for integration of Brilliant Points technology for a fraction of the cost of the projector system itself. We will reach our customers first through direct sales of upgrade kits and second through licensees of Brilliant Points technology who provide pieces of the presentation environment. We anticipate licensing revenues from projector manufacturers, computer input-device manufacturers, and laser pointer manufacturers. A conservative estimate of the potential size of this market is given by the one-year sales of business projectors, estimated by research firm Stanford Resources at nearly 1,400,000 units in 2001, and $6 billion in revenue. The median price of projectors in this market is around $3,000. When combined with the price of a typical business computer (about $1,500 to $2,000) the installed price of a presentation system runs between $4,000 and $5,000. The incremental cost of $200 to $400 to turn a common presentation system into a Brilliant Points enhanced presentation system will not likely be a significant decision barrier to business decision makers. Qualitative cross-spectrum tests of Brilliant Points technology, involving CEOs, VPs, Lawyers, sales directors, professional presenters, professors, and typical computer users, have demonstrated rapid acceptance and comfort using the demonstrator software and pointers, as well as serious inquiries into commercial availability of the product. This universal interest, across the spectrum of potential business users, is expected to continue as we expand our studies from the small groups to complete market and sales surveys.
The company has one approved patent. In addition, it has two other patents pending that will further enhance pointers by providing data transmission, secure identification, and gyro stabilization. This patented (foreign and other patents submitted and/or pending) technology, involving substantial, useful enhancement to existing presentation methods, works well and is or will be made available through the Company via a licensing framework.
Out of these patents the Company has developed several functional areas. These have real-world applications and are ready to be integrated into input device software. With Brilliant Points software, users are able to:
- “Click” mouse buttons with the laser pointer (e.g. left button, right button, center button, button chords, etc.)
- Perform complex mouse or mouse-and-keyboard actions such as click-and-drag, shift-click, etc.
- Enter alphanumeric data including backspace, spacebar, Tab, Enter
- Enter command-key sequences (e.g. Windows key, Menu key, F1, F2, Escape, etc.)
- Enter complex key sequences (e.g. Alt-Tab, Control-Shift-Alt-Tab, Control-Alt-Delete, Control-f1, Control-Shift-f12, etc.)
Much of this is accomplished through pop-up interfaces called “LaserBoard™s.” Below are two examples of LaserBoard™ interfaces. The first permits the user to enter any sequence of standard keyboard key-presses. The second permits a user with an off-the-shelf laser pointer to perform complex mouse sequences such as click-and-drag while using a single-button pointer. Additional LaserBoard™s are under development, including a full 104-key laserboard with access to the separate numeric and editing keypad. When completed, the Brilliant Points SDK will enable rapid development of additional LaserBoard™s so that licensees can rapidly create LaserBoard™s which facilitate their presentations or use of their applications.
Figure 3.0-1: Keyboard LaserBoard™ which permits any arbitrary key-press sequence.
Figure 3.0-2: Mouse LaserBoard™ which permits complex mouse and keyboard interaction using a standard single-button laser pointer.
When activated, these LaserBoard™ interfaces make complete control of the computer and presentation possible with a simple, standard, off-the-shelf laser pointer. While data-entry is slow, it is, nonetheless, possible. With patent-pending Brilliant Points technology such as complex pointers and secure data transmission through the pointer, it becomes possible to connect user-worn portable data-entry devices directly to the pointer, enabling such things as rapid keyboard data entry during a presentation, voice channel transmission so the presenter no longer has to wonder whether the wireless microphone receiver is working, etc. The presenter wears one device, one battery, and if the mouse cursor tracks the laser pointer, they know the entire system is operational.
The applications of this software set are most easily seen in the presentation market, where current technology is both limited and difficult to use. By incorporating Brilliant Points technology into presentation systems, presenters will find their laser pointers have the functionality of many devices in one, their “roaming range” while using the system is effectively unlimited, and the options available to them while designing or giving a presentation increase exponentially. At the same time, the need for an “assistant” or “drone,” who must accompany many presenters, is eliminated.
In addition, the Brilliant Points software solution set could be applied to a host of other applications, including home entertainment systems, gaming, webcam and video conferencing, and multi-user presentations. Other software products will be developed from the patents pending. These have expected development times of six months to two years. Secure pointers, id badges, security badges, stabilized pointers, gyro stabilization, and data transmission channels would all be enhanced through the technology, expanding the field of potential products to the hundreds.
The Company currently has functional software in the final beta stages, and expects to have version 1.0 product software within two months. This can be accelerated once funding is obtained, as faster development is constrained by availability of development staff. Presently all development is performed by Mr. Hansen, whose time is constrained by consulting and building the company plan. This time frame is reflected in the current plan by showing zero sales for the first two months of operations. This time estimate is quite conservative, and is based on Mr. Hansen’s own deep expertise in the software development arena. It is quite probable that V1.0 will be available ahead of schedule and sales will commence earlier than projected.
The Company anticipates that new software features will be available periodically, possibly as often as six month intervals, opening up repetitive update sales as an additional revenue stream.
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