Apparatus and System for Managing Multiple Computers

• US 20080048975A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Leibow, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,639,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/20 Details of the management of multiple sources of image data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/24 Keyboard-Video-Mouse [KVM] switch
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A system is presented for interconnecting a single user console having user interface devices, including a console keyboard, a console video display unit, a console mouse, and speakers, to a plurality of host computers each capable of using user interface devices, including a keyboard, a video display unit, and a mouse, and allowing the user to access one or more of the host computers from the single user console. The video output from each of the host computers is scaled and cropped as appropriate so that the video output of each host may be simultaneously displayed as host computer “windows” on the console video display unit or overlaid with the background suppressed to display application windows from multiple hosts on a single screen. The user may easily navigate between the host computers through a convenient and intuitive user interface that allows control of individual host computers, the transfer of files between computers using familiar a “drag and drop” interface, and copying and pasting of data between applications running on different computers. The audio output from each of the host computers may be mixed or switched for output to the speakers as desired.

Claims

1. A computer management system comprising:

a plurality of host computers;

a user console having associated user interface devices including a keyboard, a cursor control device, and a video display unit; and

a management device operatively connecting the user console to the plurality of host computers via a communications channel, wherein the management device manages keyboard control signals and cursor control signals transmitted from the user console to the plurality of host computers, buffers incoming video frames received from the plurality of host computers, and permits selective manipulation of the incoming video frames and simultaneous display of the incoming video frames from the plurality of host computers on the video display unit;

wherein the selective manipulation of the incoming video frames comprises at least one of adding frames in a time sequence;

removing frames from a time sequence;

rendering of curves, polygons, and text;

filling;

rotating;

translating; and

scaling.

2. The computer management system of claim 1, wherein the management device is configured to permit copying of files from any one of the plurality of host computers to any other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel.

3. The computer management system of claim 1, wherein the management device is configured to permit copying and pasting of data from any one of the plurality of host computers to any other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel.

4. The computer management system of claim 1, wherein the communications channel comprises a controller permitting transfer of data among the plurality of host computers using at least one of a PS/2 serial protocol, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol, and a Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol.

5. The computer management system of claim 4, wherein the communications channel comprises at least one of a fixed-wire network and a wireless network.

6. The computer management system of claim 1, wherein the management device further comprises a video processing unit, including a video frame buffer memory, adapted to display, on the video display unit, windows controlled by each of the plurality of host computers, while suppressing display of portions of video frames generated by respective ones of the plurality of host computers.

7. The computer management system of claim 6, wherein the video processing unit is further adapted to selectively crop the incoming video frames received from the plurality of host computers to prevent the portions of video frames from being stored in the video frame buffer memory in the video processing unit.

8. The computer management system of claim 6, wherein the video processing unit is adapted to selectively crop output video sent to the video display unit to prevent the display of the portions of video data on the video display unit.

9. The computer management system of claim 6, wherein the video processing unit is further adapted to resize the incoming video frames received from each of the plurality of host computers to a size up to and including 100 percent of a full size of the video display unit.

10. The computer management system of claim 6, wherein the video processing unit is further adapted to reposition points of origin of the incoming video frames received from each of the plurality of host computers for display on the video display unit, including those positions at which the incoming video frames from the plurality of host computers overlap.

11. The computer management system of claim 6, wherein the video processing unit is further adapted to reduce total video bandwidth processed by the video processing unit by performing at least one of selectively reducing resolution of the chrominance;

and selectively cropping video data corresponding to portions of incoming video frames from one of the plurality of host computers when the portions of incoming video frames would be displayed behind video from other ones of the plurality of host computers.

12. The computer management system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of host computers further includes a host software program executing thereon, and the management device further includes a management software program executing thereon, the host software program and the management software program operating together to perform at least:

a) identification of a host computer, from among the plurality of host computers, that controls a window, displayed on the video display unit, that a user selects using the console cursor control device;

b) switching of user control to the identified host computer;

c) activation of the window selected by the user; and

d) deactivation of all non-selected windows controlled by each of the plurality of host computers.

13. The computer management system of claim 12, wherein the host software program and the management software program further operate together to provide automatic generation of commands to transfer data from the identified host computer to at least one other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel when the user selects the data using the console cursor control device.

14. The computer management system of claim 13, wherein the data comprises at least a file stored on the identified host computer.

15. The computer management system of claim 13, wherein the identified host computer includes an application program running thereon, wherein the data is associated with the application program.

16. The computer management system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of host computers includes a memory buffer, wherein the host software program and the management software program operate together to monitor the memory buffer associated with the identified host computer, and upon detecting a change in the contents of the identified host memory buffer, to copy contents of the identified host memory buffer to each of the plurality of memory buffers associated with respective ones of the plurality of host computers.

17. A computer management system comprising:

a plurality of host computers;

a user console having associated user interface devices including a keyboard, a cursor control device, and a video display unit; and

a management device operatively connecting the user console to the plurality of host computers via a communications channel, wherein the management device manages keyboard control signals and cursor control signals transmitted from the user console to the plurality of host computers;

wherein the management device permits the display of video from a selected one of the plurality of host computers on the video display unit and permits display of video representations of the host computers on the video display unit;

wherein the management device permits selection of one of the plurality of host computers by selecting a corresponding one of the video representations using the cursor control device;

wherein the management device is configured to permit copying of files from any one of the plurality of host computers to any other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel;

wherein the management device is configured to permit copying and pasting of data from any one of the plurality of host computers to any other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel.

18. The computer management system of claim 17, wherein the communications channel comprises a controller permitting transfer of data among the plurality of host computers using at least one of a PS/2 serial protocol, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol, and a Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol.

19. The computer management of claim 18, wherein the communications channel comprises at least one of a fixed-wire network and a wireless network.

20. In a computer management system comprising a plurality of host computers, and a user console having associated user interface devices including a keyboard, a cursor control device, and a video display unit, a management device operatively connects the user console to the plurality of host computers via a communications channel, wherein the management device manages keyboard control signals and cursor control signals transmitted from the user console to the plurality of host computers, buffers incoming video frames received from the plurality of host computers, and permits selective manipulation of the incoming video frames and simultaneous display of the incoming video frames from the plurality of host computers on the video display unit;

wherein the selective manipulation of the incoming video frames comprises at least one of adding frames in a time sequence;

removing frames from a time sequence;

rendering of curves, polygons, and text;

filling;

rotating;

translating; and

scaling.

21. The management device of claim 20, wherein the management device is configured to permit copying of files from any one of the plurality of host computers to any other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel.

22. The management device of claim 20, wherein the management device is configured to permit copying and pasting of application data from any one of the plurality of host computers to any other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel.

23. The management device of claim 20, wherein the communications channel comprises a controller permitting transfer of data among the plurality of host computers using at least one of a PS/2 serial protocol, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol, and a Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol.

24. The management device of claim 23, wherein the communications channel comprises at least one of a fixed-wire network and a wireless network.

25. The management device of claim 20, further comprising a video processing unit, including a video frame buffer memory, adapted to display, on the video display unit, windows controlled by each of the plurality of host computers, while suppressing display of portions of video frames generated by respective ones of the plurality of host computers.

26. The management device of claim 25, wherein the video processing unit is further adapted to selectively crop the incoming video frames received from the plurality of host computers to prevent the portions of video from being stored in the video frame buffer memory in the video processing unit.

27. The management device of claim 25, wherein the video processing unit is adapted to selectively crop output video sent to the video display unit to prevent the display of the portions of video data on the video display unit.

28. The management device of claim 25, wherein the video processing unit is further adapted to resize the incoming video frames received from each of the plurality of host computers to a size up to and including 100 percent of a full size of the video display unit.

29. The management device of claim 25, wherein the video processing unit is further adapted to reposition points of origin of the incoming video frames received from each of the plurality of host computers for display on the video display unit, including those positions at which the incoming video frames from the plurality of host computers overlap.

30. The management device of claim 25, wherein the video processing unit is further adapted to reduce total video bandwidth processed by the video processing unit by performing at least one of selectively reducing resolution of the chrominance;

and selectively cropping video data corresponding to portions of incoming video frames from one of the plurality of host computers when the portions of incoming video frames would be displayed behind video from other ones of the plurality of host computers.

31. The management device of claim 20, wherein the management device further includes a management software program executing thereon, the management software program operating to perform at least:

a) identification of a host computer from among the plurality of host computers, that controls a window displayed on the video display unit, that a user selects using the console cursor control device; and

b) switching of user control to the identified host computer;

32. The management device of claim 31, wherein the management software further provides automatic generation of commands to transfer data from the identified host computer to at least one other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel when the user selects the data using the console cursor control device.

33. The management device of claim 32, wherein the data comprises at least a file stored on the identified host computer.

34. The management device of claim 32, wherein the identified host computer includes an application program running thereon, wherein the data is associated with the application program.

35. The management device of claim 32, wherein each of the plurality of host computers connected to the management device includes a memory buffer, wherein the management software program is operative to monitor the memory buffer associated with the identified host computer, and upon detecting a change in the contents of the identified host memory buffer, to copy contents of the identified host memory buffer to each of the plurality of memory buffers associated with respective ones of the plurality of host computers.

36. In a computer management system comprising a plurality of host computers, and a user console having associated user interface devices including a keyboard, a cursor control device, and a video display unit, a management device operatively connects the user console to the plurality of host computers via a communications channel, wherein the management device manages keyboard control signals and cursor control signals transmitted from the user console to the plurality of host computers, and permits the display of video from a selected one of the plurality of host computers on the video display unit and permits display of a video representation of the host computers on the video display unit;

wherein the management device permits selection of one of the plurality of host computers by selecting a corresponding one of the video representations using the cursor control device;

wherein the management device is configured to permit copying of files from any one of the plurality of host computers to any other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel;

wherein the management device is configured to permit copying and pasting of data from any one of the plurality of host computers to any other one of the plurality of host computers via the communications channel.

37. The management device of claim 36, wherein the communications channel comprises a controller permitting transfer of data among the plurality of host computers using at least one of a PS/2 serial protocol, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol, and a Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol.

38. The management device of claim 36, wherein the communications channel comprises at least one of a fixed-wire network and a wireless network.