Peripheral sharing device with unified clipboard memory

• US 20030005186A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gough, Corey D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,901,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for implementing unified clipboard memory within a keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) switch device is described. The device enables a selected one of several associated computers to read and write from the unified memory inside a KVM switch. A user can share and transfer data quickly between computers even without a network connection or direct connection between the computers.

Claims

1. A switching system to interconnect a plurality of peripherals and a video display device with a plurality of computers, allowing a user to access any one of said computers by using said peripherals, comprising:

an input/output switching hub to route control signals transmitted from the peripherals to a selected computer, and to route video signals received from said selected computer to the video display device;

a peripheral connection module to receive said control signals, and to route said video signals;

a computer interface connection unit to route said control signals, and to receive said video signals; and

a memory device to store data from said selected computer, and to transfer said data to any one or more of said computers.

2. The switching system of claim 1 wherein said input/output switching hub is coupled between said computer interface connection unit and said peripheral and video connection modules.

3. The switching system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral connection and video connection are coupled between said peripherals and said input/output switching hub.

4. The switching system of claim 1 wherein said computer interface connection unit is coupled between said input/output switching hub and said plurality of computers.

5. A switching system to interconnect a plurality of peripherals including a keyboard, a cursor control device, and a video display device with a plurality of computers, allowing a user to access any one of said computers by using said peripherals, comprising:

an input/output switching hub to route keyboard and cursor control signals transmitted from the peripherals to a selected computer and to route video signals received from said selected computer to the video display device;

a keyboard connection module, cursor control connection module and video connection module to receive said transmitted keyboard and cursor control signals, and to route said received video signals;

a computer interface connection unit to route said transmitted keyboard and cursor control signals, and to receive said received video signals; and

a memory device to store data from said selected computer, and to transfer said data to any one or more of said computers.

6. The switching system of claim 5 wherein said input/output switching hub is coupled between said computer interface connection unit and said keyboard, cursor control and video connection modules.

7. The switching system of claim 5 wherein the keyboard connection, cursor control connection and video connection are coupled between said peripherals and said input/output switching hub.

8. The switching system of claim 5 wherein said computer interface connection unit is coupled between said input/output switching hub and said plurality of computers.

9. The switching system of claim 5 wherein said computer connection interface unit comprises:

a plurality of keyboard interface connections;

a plurality of cursor control interface connections; and

a plurality of video interface connections.

10. The switching system of claim 5 wherein said memory device is coupled to said computer interface connection unit.

11. The switching system of claim 10 wherein said computer interface connection unit is for routing data to said memory device.

12. The switching system of claim 10 wherein said memory device is random access memory.

13. The memory device of claim 12 wherein said memory is a fast magnetic data storage module.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said first and second user commands are identified by said selected computer for routing data between said memory device and said selected computer.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said switch from selected computer to any one of said plurality of computers is performed by an additional user command.

14. A method of transferring data from a selected computer to any one of a plurality of computers through a switching system comprising:

providing a first user command on said data from said selected computer;

transferring said data to a memory device of said switching system;

switching from said selected computer to any one of said plurality of computers; and

providing a second user command to transfer said data from said memory device to said one of a plurality of computers.