Selective display of windows on an auxiliary output device

• US 20050091610A1
• Filed: 10/22/2003
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hintermeister, Gregory Richard, Jones, Steven Paul, Frei, Scott Douglas
• Application Number:
  US10/691,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20050091610A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment select a subset of windows displayed on an output device for display via an auxiliary output device, e.g., a projector. In various embodiments, the selection of the subset is based on a group affiliation or based on a list of allowed or disallowed applications. In other embodiments, the image on the auxiliary output device is selectively frozen or displays a pre-set image while the image on the output device changes. In this way, the displayed content on the auxiliary output device is selectively controlled, which allows for a more effective presentation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting a plurality of windows on an output device;

selecting a subset of the plurality of windows; and

sending the subset to an auxiliary output device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary output device comprises a projector.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting further comprises:

selecting the subset based on group affiliations of the plurality of windows.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting further comprises:

selecting the subset based on a list of allowed applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting further comprises:

selecting the subset based on a list of disallowed applications.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting further comprises:

detecting that an application has launched; and

determining whether the application belongs to a group.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting further comprises:

detecting that an application has been brought into focus; and

determining whether the application belongs to a group.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the subset that is sent to the auxiliary output device.

9. An apparatus comprising:

means for presenting a plurality of windows on an output device;

means for selecting a subset of the plurality of windows;

means for sending the subset to an auxiliary output device; and

means for refraining from sending windows not in the subset to the auxiliary output device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the auxiliary output device comprises a projector.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for selecting further comprises:

means for selecting the subset based on group affiliations of the plurality of windows.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

means for displaying the group affiliations in the respective windows.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for selecting further comprises:

means for detecting that an application has launched; and

means for determining whether the application belongs to a group.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for selecting further comprises:

means for detecting that an application has been brought into focus; and

means for determining whether the application belongs to a hidden group.

15. A signal-bearing medium encoded with instructions, wherein the instructions when executed comprise:

sending an image to both an output device and an auxiliary output device; and

changing the image on the output device to a new image while freezing the image on the auxiliary output device.

16. The signal-bearing medium of claim 15, wherein the auxiliary output device comprises a projector.

17. The signal-bearing medium of claim 15, further comprising:

unfreezing the image on the auxiliary output device.

18. The signal-bearing medium of claim 15, wherein the freezing the image further comprises:

re-transmitting the image to the auxiliary output device.

19. The signal-bearing medium of claim 15, wherein the freezing the image further comprises:

transmitting a pre-set image to the auxiliary output device.

20. The signal-bearing medium of claim 17, wherein the unfreezing the image further comprises:

sending the new image to the auxiliary output device.

21. An electronic device comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device encoded with instructions, wherein the instructions when executed on the processor comprise;

displaying a plurality of windows on an output device, wherein at least some of the plurality of windows overlap, and

displaying the plurality of windows on an auxiliary output device in a non-overlapping format.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the windows that overlap include data in a scrollable format and the windows in the non-overlapping format include the data in a non-scrollable format.