Systems and methods for projecting content from computing devices

• US 20050091302A1
• Filed: 02/25/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fuller, Andrew J., Manion, Todd R., Mak, William, Zink, Ronald O., Soin, Ravipal S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided hat enable an alternate display device to wirelessly receive content from a computing device, freeing users from the burden of physically connecting the computing device via a cable. The content sent to the display device can also be simultaneously or separately viewed on the computing devices of other nearby computing devices. Generic mechanism(s) and corresponding user interfaces are provided for computing devices to engage in discovery of devices to which content may be delivered, for accepting delivery and for initiating transmission of content.

Claims

1. A method for projecting content from a computing device to alternate display device(s), comprising:

selecting via a first user interface mechanism of the computing device content for transmission to at least one alternate display device capable of receiving the content, wherein said content includes public content and private content;

displaying on said computing device said content including both said public content and said private content; and

transmitting at least said public content of the selected content to the at least one alternate display device, whereby if a public/private mechanism is enabled on said computing device, when said content is rendered on the at least one alternate display device, only the public content is rendered.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting includes establishing a remote session, via a remoting protocol, between the computing device and the at least one alternate display device.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the remoting protocol is the remote desktop protocol and the remote session is a terminal services (TS) session.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising authoring said content.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising publishing said content.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein content authored before said publishing is said public content and wherein at least one alteration to said public content after said publishing is said private content.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein said authoring includes designating via a second user interface mechanism at least one portion of the content as private content.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said authoring includes designating at least one alteration of said public content as private content.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said authoring includes designating at least one of a masking, a deletion, an annotation and a highlighting of said content as private content.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the content is substantially simultaneously displayed on the at least one alternate display device in response to said transmitting.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising controlling the display of the public content on said at least one alternate display device via a second user interface mechanism on said computing device.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said controlling includes controlling a rate of viewing of said content via at least one input device of said computing device.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said content is a slide presentation.

14. A method according to claim 2, further including, for each remote session between the computing device and the at least one alternate display device, displaying via a second user interface mechanism an indication of a signal strength associated with the remote session.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting includes transmitting only said public content of the selected content to the at least one alternate display device.

16. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable modules having computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 1.

17. A computing device comprising means for performing the method of claim 1.

18. A modulated data signal carrying computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

19. At least one computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for implementing a method of interfacing with a user of a computing device having content including at least one public portion and at least one private portion capable of being projected to other computing devices, the method comprising:

displaying a user interface on the computing device;

selecting via the user interface the content including the at least one public portion; and

via said user interface, transmitting at least said at least one public portion of the selected content to the other computing devices, whereby when said content is rendered on at least one of the other computing devices, only the at least one public portion is rendered.

20. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising generating a first content version including the at least one public portion and altering said first content version thereby forming a second content version, whereby the difference in display between said first and second content versions comprises said at least one private portion.

21. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 20, wherein said generating includes publishing said at least one public portion.

22. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 21, wherein said computing device is a stylus pen input device and said publishing includes printing said at least one public portion to a journal.

23. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 20, wherein said altering includes at least one of adding to, masking, highlighting, annotating and deleting from said first content version.

24. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising designating said at least one private portion via said user interface.

25. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 24, wherein said designating includes designating at least one alteration of said at least one public portion as at least one private portion.

26. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 25, wherein said designating includes designating at least one of a masking, a deletion, an annotation and a highlighting of said at least one public portion as at least one private portion.

27. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising rendering said at least one private portion and said at least one public portion on said computing device, whereby in response to said transmitting, the at least one public portion rendered on said at least one of the other computing devices is rendered substantially simultaneously with said at least one public portion and said at least one private portion rendered on said computing device.

28. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising controlling the rendering of the at least one public portion on said at least one of the other computing devices via said user interface.

29. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 28, wherein said controlling includes controlling a rate of viewing of said at least one public portion via at least one input device of said computing device.

30. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 28, wherein said controlling correspondingly controls rendering of said at least one public portion and said at least one private portion on said computing.

31. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 19, wherein said transmitting includes transmitting only said at least one public portion to said at least one of the other computing devices.

32. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the other computing devices include at least one of (A) at least one projector device and (B) at least one available other notebook computer.

33. A server computing device for projecting content from the server computing device to at least one client display device capable of rendering the content substantially simultaneously with the rendering of the content on said server computing device, comprising:

a user interface mechanism for selecting content for transmission to the at least one client display device, wherein said content includes public content and private content; and

a transmitter component for sending at least the public content of the content selected by said user interface mechanism to the at least one client display device, whereby when said content is rendered on the at least one client display device, only the public content is rendered, and substantially simultaneously, both the public content and the private content are displayed on said server computing device.

34. A server computing device according to claim 33, further comprising an authoring tool for authoring said content.

35. A server computing device according to claim 34, further comprising a publishing tool for publishing said content.

36. A server computing device according to claim 35, wherein content authored with said authoring tool before said publishing is said public content and wherein at least one alteration to said public content after publishing with the publishing tool is said private content.

37. A server computing device according to claim 34, wherein at least one portion of the content is designated as private content via said user interface mechanism.

38. A server computing device according to claim 37, wherein at least one alteration of said public content made via said authoring tool is designated as private content via said user interface mechanism.

39. A server computing device according to claim 38, wherein said at least one alteration includes at least one of a masking, a deletion, an annotating and a highlighting of said public content.

40. A server computing device according to claim 33, wherein the rendering of the public content on said at least one client display device is controlled via said user interface mechanism.

41. A server computing device according to claim 40, wherein said control of the rendering includes control of a rate of display of said content.

42. A server computing device according to claim 33, wherein said content is a slide presentation.

43. A server computing device according to claim 33, wherein said transmitter component transmits only said public content of the selected content to the at least one client display device.

44. A computing device for projecting content to at least one alternate display device capable of receiving the content, comprising:

a user interface component for selecting content for transmission to the at least one alternate display device, wherein said content includes public content and private content;

means for displaying on said computing device said content including both said public content and said private content; and

means for transmitting at least said public content of the selected content to the at least one alternate display device, whereby when said content is rendered on the at least one alternate display device, only the public content is rendered substantially in synchronization with the display of said public content on said computing device by said means for displaying.

45. A computing device according to claim 44, further comprising means for publishing said content, wherein content authored before publishing by said means for publishing is said public content and wherein at least one alteration to said public content after said publishing is said private content.

46. A computing device according to claim 44, wherein said user interface component includes means for designating at least one portion of the content as private content.

47. A computing device according to claim 44, wherein said user interface component further comprises means for controlling the display of the public content on said at least one alternate display device.

48. A computing device according to claim 44, wherein said means for transmitting transmits only said public content of the selected content to the at least one alternate display device.

49. At least one computer readable medium comprising computer executable modules comprising computer executable instructions for implementing a method of interfacing with a computing device having content including at least one public portion and at least one private portion capable of being projected to other computing devices, the modules comprising:

a user interface component for selecting the content;

means for transmitting at least said at least one public portion of the selected content to the other computing devices, whereby when said content is rendered on at least one of the other computing devices, only the at least one public portion is rendered.

50. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 49, further comprising:

means for generating a first content version of the content including the at least one public portion; and

means for altering said first content version to form a second content version, whereby the difference in display between said first and second content versions comprises said at least one private portion.

51. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 50, wherein said means for generating includes means for publishing said at least one public portion.

52. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 50, wherein said means for altering includes at least one of a means for adding to, a means for masking, a means for highlighting, a means for annotating and a means for deleting from said first content version.

53. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 49, wherein said user interface component comprises means for designating said at least one private portion.

54. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 49, further comprising means for rendering said at least one private portion and said at least one public portion on a display of said computing device, whereby in response to operation of said means for transmitting, the at least one public portion rendered on said at least one of the other computing devices is rendered substantially simultaneously with said at least one public portion and said at least one private portion rendered on said computing device.

55. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 49, wherein said user interface component comprises means for controlling the rendering of the at least one public portion on said at least one of the other computing devices.

56. At least one computer readable medium according to claim 55, wherein said means for controlling substantially synchronizes the rendering of said at least one public portion and said at least one private portion on said computing device with the rendering of said at least one public portion on said at least one of the other computing devices.