Visual display of physical port location for information handling system

• US 20090077485A1
• Filed: 09/13/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Steitieh, Allam, Kothandaraman, Lakshmipriya, Zhang, Yi, Courtney, Gerald JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

A system and method is provided for providing a user-interface comprising a visual display of the physical location of a plurality of I/O ports on the housing of a portable information handling system. In various embodiments, the physical location and status of the various I/O ports are shown using icons on the periphery of the display with the location of the icons on the display being correlated with the physical location of the physical ports on the housing of the portable information handling system. In some embodiments of the invention, the map is launched when the user depresses a predetermined “hot key.” In other embodiments, the map is launched using other user gestures, such as executing a mouse click when the mouse pointer is positioned at a location proximate to an icon on the display or by touching a predetermined icon on a touch-sensitive screen.

Claims

1. A method for displaying the location of ports on an information handling system, comprising:

generating a plurality of visual icons corresponding to a plurality of physical ports on said information handling system; and

displaying said icons at predetermined locations on a display, wherein the location of said icons on said display corresponds to the physical location of individual ports in said plurality of ports.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said icons are generated in response to actuation of a predetermined key on a keyboard coupled to said information handling system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said icons are generated in response to actuation of a mouse coupled to said information handling system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said icons comprise information regarding the status of individual ports in said plurality of ports.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said icons are temporarily displayed for a predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said icons are displayed in phantom on said display.

7. A system for displaying a visual representation of ports on an information handling system, the system comprising:

a plurality of ports located at predetermined physical locations on said information handling system;

a display;

data processing logic operable to generate a plurality of individual icons at predetermined locations on said display, wherein individual icons correspond to individual physical ports in said plurality of ports, and wherein the location of said individual icons on said display corresponds to the respective physical location of individual ports in said plurality of ports.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said icons are generated in response to actuation of a predetermined key on a keyboard coupled to said information handling system.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said icons are generated in response to actuation of a mouse coupled to said information handling system.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said icons comprise information regarding the status of individual ports in said plurality of ports.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein said icons are temporarily displayed for a predetermined period of time.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein said icons are displayed in phantom on said display.

13. A information handling system, comprising:

a central processing unit operable to process information;

a plurality of ports located at predetermined physical locations on said information handling system;

a display;

data processing logic operable to generate a plurality of individual icons at predetermined locations on said display, wherein individual icons correspond to individual physical ports in said plurality of ports, and wherein the location of said individual icons on said display corresponds to the respective physical location of individual ports in said plurality of ports.

14. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein said icons are generated in response to actuation of a predetermined key on a keyboard coupled to said information handling system.

15. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein said icons are generated in response to actuation of a mouse coupled to said information handling system.

16. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein said icons comprise information regarding the status of individual ports in said plurality of ports.

17. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein said icons are temporarily displayed for a predetermined period of time.

18. The information handling system of claim 13, wherein said icons are displayed in phantom on said display.