SEPARABLE DISPLAYS AND COMPOSABLE SURFACES

• US 20100313150A1
• Filed: 06/03/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: LeGrow, Ian C., Whytock, John Christopher, Russ, Victor Kevin, Sands, Ian M., Bathiche, Steven N., Wilson, Andrew D., Izadi, Shahram, Hodges, Stephen Edward, Butler, David Alexander, Westerinen, William J., Morris, Meredith J.
• Application Number:
  US12/477,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20100313150A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/761
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131

Abstract

The claimed subject matter relates to a display that is physically separable and to an associated architecture that can facilitate data mobility or collaboration in connection with the separable display. In particular, the separable display can be configured as an apparent unitary or singular UI for an associated multi-node computer, yet for which portion of the separable display can be physically decoupled. The multi-node computer can include a set of computing nodes, each of which can potentially operate autonomously, yet also in unison with other nodes to form a collective multiprocessor computing platform. Moreover, each of the computing nodes can be embedded in and distributed throughout the separable display. Accordingly, when a portion of the separable display is decoupled from a remainder of the separable display, both the portion and the remainder can include some subset of the computing nodes, and can therefore maintain the UI.

Claims

1. A display that is physically divisible, comprising:

a separable display with an anterior face that is configured as a user-interface (UI) for an associated multi-node computing component;

a plurality of computing nodes that are included in and distributed throughout the separable display, wherein a computing node from the plurality of computing nodes manages UI transactions associated with a local region of the separable display; and

the computing node includes a processor, a memory store, and a polling component that identifies physically coupled computing nodes included in the plurality of computing nodes.

2. The display of claim 1, the UI transactions managed by the computing node include at least one of an input transaction or an output transaction associated with the local region of the separable display.

3. The display of claim 1, the memory store that includes (1) a private memory allocation that is specific to the computing node or the associated local region of the separable display;

and (2) public memory allocation that is accessible by disparate processors associated with the physically coupled computing nodes.

4. The display of claim 1, the polling component identifies capabilities of the physically coupled computing nodes.

5. The display of claim 1, the polling component identifies respective regions of the separable display in which the physically coupled computing nodes respectively manage UI transactions.

6. The display of claim 1, the polling component identifies a physically decoupled computing node.

7. The display of claim 6, the polling component identifies at least one of capabilities or physical geometry associated with the physically decoupled computing node, or a region of the separable display in which UI transactions are managed by the physically decoupled computing node.

8. The display of claim 1, the computing node further includes a synchronization component that facilitates data transfer between the memory store and disparate memory stores associated with the physically coupled computing nodes.

9. The display of claim 8, the synchronization component tags data propagated from a private memory allocation with an identifier associated with the computing node.

10. The display of claim 8, the synchronization component deletes data from the memory store that is tagged with an identifier associated with a physically decoupled computing node.

11. The display of claim 8, the synchronization component further facilitates normalization of processor utilization with respect to the processor and disparate processors associated with the physically coupled computing nodes.

12. The display of claim 1, the computing node further includes a power source.

13. The display of claim 12, the power source is a battery configured as a separable material strip that constitutes lateral edges of the separable display, or configured as a separable material plate coupled to a posterior face of the separable display.

14. The display of claim 12, the power source is a separable photovoltaic film that covers at least one of the anterior face or a posterior face of the separable display.

15. The display of claim 1 is printed on a surface by a printer.

16. A system that facilitates data mobility or collaboration in connection with a decomposable display, comprising:

a separable display that is configured as a UI for an associated computer-based device;

a synchronization component that manages memory for a memory store of an associated computing node of the device, and that facilitates data transfer between the memory store and a disparate memory store associated with a second computing node of the device;

a geometry component that identifies division boundaries when a physical portion of the separable display is decoupled from a remainder of the separable display;

a decomposition component that identifies a first subset of computing nodes included in the portion, and identifies a second set of computing nodes included in the remainder based upon the division boundaries.

17. The system of claim 16, the synchronization component manages memory for the memory store based upon UI transactions that occur in a region of the separable display managed by the computing node or physically coupled computing nodes, or based upon an object or data included in the region.

18. A computer implemented method for providing a decomposable display, comprising:

configuring a separable display as a UI for an associated distributed computing system;

embedding in the separable display a set of computing nodes that collectively constitutes the distributed computing system;

including in each computing node a processor, a memory, and a polling component configured for identifying other computing nodes physically attached to the separable display; and

configuring a computing node in the set for managing UI transactions in connection with a local region of the separable display proximal to the computing node.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising at least one of the following acts:

replicating data included in the memory of a first computing node to the memory of a second computing node for enabling the second computing node to autonomously manage an associated second region of the separable display in the event of a decoupling of the first computing node and the second computing node;

replicating the data based upon manipulation of objects between a first region of the separable display associated with the first computing node and the second region;

tagging a private portion of replicated data with a node owner ID;

identifying division boundaries when a physical portion of the separable display is decoupled from a remainder of the separable display;

determining a set of capabilities of, a set of data available to, a physical location of, or a region of the separable display managed by computing nodes included in the portion or the remainder;

or

deleting from computing nodes included in the portion replicated data tagged with a node owner ID associated with a computing node included in the remainder.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising at least one of the following acts:

including in the separable display a power source configured to supply power to the separable display and the embedded set of computing nodes that constitute the distributed computing system;

configuring the power source as a separable material bezel around the separable display;

configuring the power source as a separable material cover attached to a posterior side of the separable display;

configuring the power source as a separable photovoltaic film that coats the posterior side or an anterior side of the separable display;

utilizing the power source included in a remainder of the separable display to wirelessly power a decoupled portion of the separable display;

or

printing at least a portion of the separable display to a piece of paper, a piece of fabric, or a surface.