THIN CLIENT COMPUTING DEVICE HAVING TOUCH SCREEN INTERACTIVE CAPABILITY SUPPORT

• US 20160188356A1
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AmZetta Technologies, LLC (American Megatrends International, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Ramasamy, Veerajothi, Ayanam, Varadachari Sudan
• Granted Patent: US 9,454,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0383 Remote input, i.e. interface arrangements in which the signals generated by a pointing device are transmitted to a PC at a remote location, e.g. to a PC in a LAN
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relates to a system capable of providing touch screen interactive capability to a thin client computing device. The computing device includes: a touch screen display supporting touch screen interactive capability, and a thin client controller. The thin client controller includes a processor, and a memory. The memory stores an operating system which does not support the touch screen interactive capability of the touch screen display, and computer executable code. When executed at the processor, the computer executable code causes the processor to: display a touch screen user interface to emulate computer peripherals, define certain user touch screen operations and certain corresponding thin client management functions, receive one or more user touch screen operations from a user through the touch screen user interface on the touch screen display, and perform the thin client management functions according to the received user touch screen operations.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a computing device functioning as a thin client, wherein the computing device comprises;

a touch screen display supporting touch screen interactive capability; and

a thin client controller having a processor and a storage device storing an operating system (OS) and computer executable code, wherein the OS does not support the touch screen interactive capability of the touch screen display,

wherein the computer executable code, when executed at the processor, is configured to;

display a touch screen user interface on the touch screen display to emulate computer peripherals;

define a plurality of user touch screen operations and a plurality of thin client management functions, wherein each of the thin client management functions corresponds to at least one of the user touch screen operations;

receive one or more of the user touch screen operations from a user through the touch screen user interface on the touch screen display; and

in response to receiving the user touch screen operations, perform the corresponding thin client management functions based on the received user touch screen operations.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a virtual desktop server communicatively connected to the computing device via a network, the virtual desktop server storing a hypervisor and a plurality of virtual machines (VMs), wherein the virtual desktop server is configured to;

execute the hypervisor; and

execute the VMs on the executed hypervisor,

wherein each of the executed VMs is configured to provide one or more virtual desktops accessible for the computing device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the thin client controller further comprises:

a communication interface module configured to communicate between the thin client controller and the touch screen display over a communication channel; and

a network interface controller configured to support network communication among the virtual desktops, the thin client controller, and the touch screen display over the network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the communication channel comprises:

a serial bus;

a universal serial bus (USB);

an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus;

a wireless communication channel; and

an intelligent platform management bus (IPMB).

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the touch screen user interface on the touch screen display comprises:

a soft keyboard;

a touch control command area; and

a soft mouse.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer executable code is further configured to:

configure the computing device as the thin client, the soft keyboard, the soft mouse, the touch control command area, the network, and the touch screen display.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer executable code is further configured to:

select a location to enter text by the user by receiving a user touch screen operation at a text box displayed on the touch screen display;

display the soft keyboard to allow the user to enter text; and

enter a key displayed on the touch screen display or a user touch screen operation to remove the soft keyboard and return the touch screen display to display.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein a size and a location of each of the soft keyboard, the touch control command area and the soft mouse are configurable through the computer executable code.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable code comprises:

an input module configured to receive the plurality of user touch screen operations;

an input processing module configured to process and interpret the received user touch screen operations, and determine the plurality of thin client management functions to be performed in response to the received user touch screen operations;

a display module configured to display the touch screen user interface, and user interactive response to the user; and

an execution module configured to perform the thin client management functions according to the received user touch screen operations.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the thin client management functions comprise:

starting a virtual desktop session;

displaying a login screen on the touch screen display;

performing virtual desktop operations in the virtual desktop session; and

ending the virtual desktop session.

11. A computer-implemented method of providing touch screen interactive capability support to a computing device, comprising:

displaying, at a processor of a thin client controller of the computing device functioning as a thin client, a touch screen user interface on a touch screen display of the computing device to emulate computer peripherals, wherein the touch screen display supports touch screen interactive capability, and the thin client controller has an operating system not supporting the touch screen interactive capability of the touch screen display;

defining, at the processor of the thin client controller, a plurality of user touch screen operations and a plurality of thin client management functions, wherein each of the thin client management functions corresponds to at least one of the user touch screen operations;

receiving, at the processor of the thin client controller, one or more user touch screen operations from a user through the touch screen user interface on the touch screen display; and

in response to receiving the user touch screen operations, performing, at the processor of the thin client controller, the corresponding thin client management functions based on the received user touch screen operations.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the computing device comprises:

the touch screen display supporting the touch screen interactive capability; and

the thin client controller comprising;

the processor;

a communication interface module configured to maintain communication between the thin client controller and the touch screen display over a communication channel;

a network interface controller configured to support network communication among a plurality of virtual desktops, the thin client controller, and the touch screen display over a network; and

a memory having the operating system and computer executable code, wherein the computer executable code, when executed at the processor, causes the processor to support the touch screen interactive capability on the touch screen display.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the computer executable code comprises:

an input module configured to receive the plurality of user touch screen operations;

an input processing module configured to process and interpret the received user touch screen operations, and determine the plurality of thin client management functions to be performed in response to the received user touch screen operations;

a display module configured to display the touch screen user interface, and user interactive response to the user; and

an execution module configured to perform the thin client management functions according to the received user touch screen operations.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the touch screen user interface on the touch screen display comprises:

a soft keyboard;

a touch control command area; and

a soft mouse.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

configuring, at the processor of the thin client controller, the computing device as the thin client, the soft keyboard, the soft mouse, the touch control command area, the network, and the touch screen display.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting, at the processor of the thin client controller, a location to enter text by the user by receiving a user touch screen operation at a text box displayed on the touch screen display;

displaying, at the processor of the thin client controller, the soft keyboard to allow the user to enter text;

entering, at the processor of the thin client controller, a key displayed on the touch screen display or a user touch screen operation to remove the soft keyboard, and returning the touch screen display to display.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein a size and a location of each of the soft keyboard, the touch control command area and the soft mouse are configurable through the computer executable code.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the thin client management functions comprise:

starting a virtual desktop session;

displaying a login screen on the touch screen display;

performing virtual desktop operations in the virtual desktop session; and

ending the virtual desktop session.

19. A non-transitory computer storage medium having computer executable code stored thereon which, when executed by a processor of a thin client controller of a computing device functioning as a thin client, is configured to:

display a touch screen user interface on a touch screen display of the computing device to emulate computer peripherals, wherein the touch screen display supports touch screen interactive capability, and the thin client controller has an operating system not supporting the touch screen interactive capability of the touch screen display;

define a plurality of user touch screen operations and a plurality of thin client management functions, wherein each of the thin client management functions corresponds to at least one of the user touch screen operations;

receive one or more user touch screen operations from a user through the touch screen user interface on the touch screen display; and

in response to receiving the user touch screen operations, perform the corresponding thin client management functions based on the received user touch screen operations.

20. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 19, wherein the computer executable code comprises:

an input module configured to receive the plurality of user touch screen operations;

an input processing module configured to process and interpret the received user touch screen operations, and determine the plurality of thin client management functions to be performed in response to the received user touch screen operations;

a display module configured to display the touch screen user interface, and user interactive response to the user; and

an execution module configured to perform the thin client management functions according to the received user touch screen operations.

21. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 19, wherein the touch screen user interface on the touch screen display comprises:

a soft keyboard;

a touch control command area; and

a soft mouse.

22. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 21, wherein the computer executable code is further configured to:

configure the computing device as the thin client, the soft keyboard, the soft mouse, the touch control command area, the network, and the touch screen display.

23. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 21, wherein the computer executable code is further configured to:

select a location to enter text by the user by receiving a user touch screen operation at a text box displayed on the touch screen display;

display the soft keyboard to allow the user to enter text; and

enter a key displayed on the touch screen display or a user touch screen operation to remove the soft keyboard and return the touch screen display to display.

24. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 21, wherein a size and a location of each of the soft keyboard, the touch control command area and the soft mouse are configurable through the computer executable code.

25. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 19, wherein the thin client management functions comprise:

starting a virtual desktop session;

displaying a login screen on the touch screen display;

performing virtual desktop operations in the virtual desktop session; and

ending the virtual desktop session.