WIRELESS CONTROL OF MULTIPLE COMPUTERS

• US 20080266247A1
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rose, Danny B., Robideaux, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,893,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A system comprises a plurality of computers, a first wireless input device adapted to control any of the computers via wireless communication, and selection logic coupled to the first wireless input device. The selection logic enables a user to select one of the computers to be controlled by the first input device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of computers;

a first wireless input device adapted to control any of said computers via wireless communication with said computers; and

selection logic coupled to said first wireless input device, said selection logic enables a user to select one of said computers to be controlled by said first wireless input device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said computers comprises an associated wireless transceiver.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein each wireless transceiver is universal serial bus (USB)-compliant.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein each wireless transceiver causes a communication channel to logic in the associated computer to remain active when a different computer has been selected for control by the first wireless input device.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein said first wireless input device transmits a signal to an unselected computer, and the transceiver associated with said unselected computer responds to said signal by causing a communication channel to logic in the associated computer to remain active.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said first wireless input device comprises an input device selected from a group consisting of a keyboard, mouse, and trackball.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user control via which a user can select the computer to be controlled by the first wireless input device.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second input device coupled to said first input device and wherein said selection logic causes said first wireless input device to transmit wireless signals to a selected one of said computers for control of the selected computer by both input devices.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said selection logic is integrated into said first wireless input device.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein a wireless transceiver associated with each computer comprises an identifier, each identifier uniquely identifying the associated wireless transceiver, and said selection logic causes an identifier of the selected computer'"'"'s wireless transceiver to be included in a wireless transmission to said selected computer.

11. An input device, comprising:

a user input control;

a wireless transmitter; and

selection logic coupled to said user input control and said wireless transmitter, said selection logic enables a user of said input device to select one of a plurality of computers to be wirelessly controlled by said input device.

12. The input device of claim 11 wherein said wireless transmitter transmits a signal to an unselected computer to cause the unselected computer to cause a communication channel associated with said input device and within said unselected computer to remain active.

13. The input device of claim 11 wherein said input device comprises an input device selected from a group consisting of a keyboard, mouse, and trackball.

14. The input device of claim 11 further comprising a computer selection control via which a user can select the computer to be controlled by the input device.

15. The input device of claim 11 further comprising a port to which a user control device can be mated, said wireless transmitter adapted to wirelessly transmit signals resulting from user activation said input device and said user control device to the selected computer.

16. The input device of claim 11 wherein said user control device comprises a cursor pointing device.

17. The input device of claim 11 wherein a wireless transceiver associated with each computer comprises an identifier, each identifier uniquely identifying the associated wireless transceiver, and said selection logic causes an identifier of the selected computer'"'"'s wireless transceiver to be included in a wireless transmission to said selected computer.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a wireless receiver; and

logic coupled to the wireless transceiver, said logic receives wireless input signals from a user input device and provides control signals indicative of said wireless input signals via a channel to a host logic to thereby enable a user to control the host logic via the user input device;

wherein said logic maintains the channel active in the absence of wireless input signals from the user input device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said wireless receiver is transceiver is universal serial bus (USB)-compliant.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said apparatus is portable and removable from said host logic.