UNIFIED DESKTOP LAPTOP DOCK SOFTWARE OPERATION

• US 20130076594A1
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Sirpal, Sanjiv, Reeves, Paul E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,405,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• 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 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/12 Frame memory handling
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Methods and devices for selectively presenting a user interface or “desktop” across two devices are provided. More particularly, a unified desktop is presented across a device and a computer system that comprise a unified system. The unified desktop acts as a single user interface that presents data and receives user interaction in a seamless environment that emulates a personal computing environment. To function within the personal computing environment, the unified desktop includes a process for docking and undocking the device with the computer system. The unified desktop presents desktops or windows based on a set of pre-determined rules.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a device;

providing a computer system;

docking the device to the computer system to form a unified system;

generating a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop includes at least a first user interface associated with the device and a second user interface associated with the computer system, and wherein the unified desktop emulates a personal computer environment;

while docked, receiving a first event at the computer system; and

the computer system sending the first event to the device for processing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event is a user interface input on the computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device processes the event for the computer system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the computer system receives an output from the device after the device processes the event.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the computer system displaying the output on the second user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first event is intercepted in a memory stack for an operating system of the computer system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first event is relayed to a device interface to send to a second operating system executing on the device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the output is received from the second operating system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the output is injected into the memory stack of the operating system of the computer system to direct the computer system to display the output.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event is a user interface input that crosses the computer system and the device.

11. A unified system, comprising:

a device comprising;

a first screen;

a first memory;

a first processor;

a computer system comprising;

a second screen;

a second memory;

a second processor, wherein the device is docked with the computer system to form the unified system, the second processor is configured to;

execute an operating system configured to receive a first event from a user interface associated with the computer system; and

execute an interceptor module configured to intercept the first event at the computer system; and

execute a relay module configured to relay the first event to the device for processing.

12. The unified system 11, wherein the computer system further comprises a device interface, the device interface configured to receive output associated with the first event from the device.

13. The unified system of claim 12, wherein the computer system further comprises a receive module configured to receive the output from the device interface.

14. The unified system of claim 13, wherein the computer system further comprises an injector module configured to inject the output into the operating system associated with the computer system.

15. The unified system of claim 14, wherein, in response to the injected output, the operating system of the computer system displays the output.

16. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing a processor to execute a method for providing a unified desktop, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

upon docking a device with a computer system, instructions to generate a unified desktop for the unified system, wherein the unified desktop includes a first user interface associated with the device and a second user interface associated with the computer system, and wherein the unified desktop emulates a personal computer environment;

instructions to execute a receiver module, the receiver module configured to receive output associated with a first event;

instructions to execute an injector module, the injector module configured to inject the output into a memory stack associated with an operating system of the computer system.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first event was received on the device.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions to execute an operating system, the operating system configured to receive a first event from a user interface associated with the computer system.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions to execute an interceptor module, the interceptor module configured to intercept the first event at the computer system.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions to execute a relay module, the relay module configured to relay the first event to the device for processing.