CENTRAL DISPLAY WITH PRIVATE SECONDARY DISPLAYS

• US 20120235922A1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Locker, Howard J., Rutledge, James Stephen, Stewart, Aaron Michael, Swansey, John David
• Granted Patent: US 9,569,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/02 Networking aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for a central display with private secondary displays. The apparatus includes a central information handling device and a secondary generation module. The central information handling device generates a central image for a central display. The central display is in communication with a plurality of secondary devices communicating with a plurality of secondary displays. Each secondary device communicates with a distinct secondary display. The secondary generation module generates a secondary image for two or more of the secondary displays of the secondary devices. The central display is viewable concurrently by users of each secondary display.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a central information handling device generating a central image for a central display, the central information handling device being in communication with a plurality of secondary devices communicating with a plurality of secondary displays, each secondary device communicating with a distinct secondary display; and

a secondary generation module generating a secondary image for two or more of the secondary displays of the secondary devices, the central display viewable concurrently by users of each secondary display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each secondary image correlates with the central image, each secondary image and the central image comprising different visual data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one secondary device comprises a touch device having a secondary display comprising a touch screen.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a communication module receiving data from a particular secondary device, the data being transmitted from the particular secondary device in response to the particular secondary device detecting a predefined touch gesture on its secondary display, the data comprising a visual component, the central information handling device displaying the visual component in the central image.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a discovery module discovering a particular secondary device and associating the particular secondary device with the central display in response to discovering the secondary device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central information handling device comprises a first processor executing a first operating system, at least one secondary device comprising a second processor executing a second operating system other than the first operating system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transmitting module transmitting the secondary image to each secondary device for display on each secondary display.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the secondary generation module sends instructions to a particular secondary device, the particular secondary device generating the secondary image based on the instructions.

19. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each secondary image correlates with the central image, each secondary image and the central image comprising different visual data.

20. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the central display comprises a touch screen.

9. A method comprising:

generating a central image for a central display, the central display being in communication with a central information handling device, the central information handling device being in communication with a plurality of secondary devices communicating with a plurality of secondary displays, each secondary device communicating with a distinct secondary display; and

generating a secondary image for two or more of the secondary displays of the secondary devices, the central display viewable concurrently by users of each secondary display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each secondary image correlates with the central image, each secondary image and the central image comprising different visual data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one secondary device comprises a touch device having a secondary display comprising a touch screen.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving data from a particular secondary device, the data being transmitted from the particular secondary device in response to the particular secondary device detecting a predefined input.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of secondary devices comprise touch devices, the method further comprising communicating data from a particular secondary device to an additional secondary device, the data being transmitted in response to the particular secondary device detecting a predefined touch gesture on its secondary display.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the central information handling device comprises a first processor executing a first operating system, at least one secondary device comprising a second processor executing a second operating system other than the first operating system.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the central display comprises a touch screen.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the secondary image for each secondary display further comprises sending instructions to a particular secondary device, the particular secondary device generating the secondary image based on the instructions.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprising transmitting the secondary image to each secondary device for display on each secondary display.

18. A computer program product comprising a storage device storing machine readable code executed by a processor to perform the operations of:

generating a central image for a central display by way of a central generation module in communication with the central display, the central generation module being in communication with a plurality of secondary devices communicating with a plurality of secondary displays, each secondary device communicating with a distinct secondary display; and

generating a secondary image for two or more of the secondary displays of the secondary devices, the central display viewable concurrently by users of each secondary display.