Concurrent display of data from two different processors each having different display font and user interface for controlling transfer of converted font data therebetween

• US 5,113,517 A
• Filed: 01/24/1990
• Issued: 05/12/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sandman, James G. Jr., Mackey, Kevin J., Hsiao, Jennifer B., Steinbach, Gary R., Beard, Marian H., Caro, Perry A., Woods, Donald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Application Number:
  US07/469,722
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/521, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 340/711, 340/721
• US Class Current: 703/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A multiprocessor system comprises concurrent display of video data reflecting the operation of two processors in discrete portions of a single display screen with a user interface adapted for interaction with both processors. One processor controls the entire display while allocating a portion of the display screen for the use of the other processor which processor emulates a target processor system, for example, the IBM PC. A user interface is represented on the display screen in the form of metaphoric objects, called icons, with which the user can interact by changing the input focus to a designated object by visually pointed to it via the input means, which thereafter permits manipulation of the designated object of interaction with data input/output relative to the designated object. This input means is also used to initially change the input focus to either the allocated emulating processor screen portion or to the remaining portion of the central processor display screen prior to interaction with the metaphoric objects in a selected screen portion, the change of the input focus causing subsequent user input via the input means to be directed to the selected screen portion until interrupted by a change in focus input to the other of the screen portions by the user via the input means. An icon may be a representation of a virtual object, such as a virtual floppy disk, that is accessible in either the host system world or in the emulating processor world even though the virtual floppy disk may have a filing system alien to the host system world. Facilities are also provided to permit transferring of displayed data reflecting the operation of one processor to the control of the other processor in response to user inputs selecting the data to be transferred and indicating the destination of the selected data on the display. More specifically, if data from each processor is displayed in a discrete portion of the display screen, the user may select data in one processor'"'"'s controlled screen portion and transfer it to the other processor'"'"'s controlled screen region, and vice versa.

Claims

1. In a multiprocessor environment wherein at least two display processor means for independently and concurrently operating to display data as separate images on a single display screen of a display, comprising

a first display processor means having a first operating environment for processing and displaying images on said display screen,

main memory means for said first display processor means including memory allocated for storing information representative of said first display processor means images,

memory controller means under the control of said first display processor means to store and update said information in said memory means,

display memory means having a storage configuration with point-to-point address to pixel configuration for said display screen,

display controller means under the control of said first display processor means to periodically scan said display memory and display the information therein onto said display screen,

at least one other display processor means having a second operating environment which is different from said first operating environment for processing information for display on said display screen, said other display processing means having allocated memory in said main memory means of said first display processor means for storing information representative of the output from said other display processor means,

window manager means in said first display processor means for creating and tracking window ports in said display memory, one of said window ports being designated for emulating the screen display of the output from said other display processor means,

said display controller means causing the simultaneous display on said display screen of both the displayed information of said first display processor means and the displayed information of said other display processor means via said designated window port,

said environment including a user interface on said display screen including metaphoric objects with which a user can interact by using input means,

means to change the input focus for said input means to either said designated window port or to the remaining area of said display screen of said first display processor means prior to interaction with a metaphoric object present in a selected screen portion and

means to transfer information displayed relative to one of said display processor means to the display screen or window port of the other one of said display processor means, said transfer accomplished through said input means to translate said information into from the operating environment of the one of said display processor means the operating environment of the other one of said display processor means.

2. The multiprocessor environment of claim 1 wherein said first display processor means can only read information from, but not write information to, said other display processor means allocated memory in said main memory.

3. The multiprocessor environment of claim 1 which includes means for capturing information displayed in either a portion of said display screen dedicated to said first display processor means or displayed in said other processing system designated window port and transferring the captured information to the other thereof.

4. The multiprocessor environment of claim 3 wherein said captured information is copied to the other thereof.

5. The multiprocessor environment of claim 3 wherein said captured information is moved to the other thereof.

6. In a multiprocessor system including at least two data processors to operate simultaneously sharing the same display to concurrently display data on its display screen, one of said processors being a host processor having its own proprietary operating system and character font display set for displaying data on one allocated portion of said display screen and the other thereof being a target processor having its own proprietary operating system and character font display set and controlling displayed data via another allocated screen portion of said display screen, user interface means for said display screen to selectively access either allocated portion of said display screen, said user interface means including user input means to select data in one allocated screen portion for transfer to the other allocated screen portion and indicate the destination of said selected data in said other allocated screen portion, means to transfer displayed data from said allocated screen portion of one data processor to said allocated screen portion of the other data processor, said transfer means including means to convert said selected data from the proprietary character font set of one processor to proprietary character font set of the other processor via said input means.

7. In the multiprocessor system of claim 6 wherein said input means comprises an input cursor device and a keyboard with keyboard processor, said data selection accomplished via said cursor device and said data transfer accomplished through said keyboard processor via a conversion table.

8. In the multiprocessor system of claim 6 wherein said another allocated screen portion of said display screen comprises a window port in said display screen, means to interrupt the functional operation of said target processor and freeze the display of data in said window port during the transfer of said data from said display window port of said target processor to the allocated screen portion of said host processor whereby the integrity of said target processor functional operation is unaffected upon the resumption of the interrupted state of said target processor.

9. In the multiprocessor system of claim 6 wherein said user interface comprises the display of metaphoric objects at least one of which is representative of a portable memory means for access by either of said data processors via said input means.

10. In the multiprocessor system of claim 9 wherein said portable memory means comprises a virtual floppy disk or an emulated fixed disk.

11. A system comprising:

first processor means for producing first image data defining images;

the first processor means comprising a first processor for executing a first set of instructions to produce the first image data;

second processor means for producing second image data defining images;

the second processor means comprising a second processor for executing a second set of instructions to produce the second image data;

display means for presenting images;

the display means comprising a display screen on which images are presented;

the display means comprising combining means for operating on the first image data and the second image data to produce combined image data defining combined images that include a first image area and a second image area, the first image area of the combined images being defined by the first image data and the second image area of the combined images being defined by the second image data;

the display means comprising a display screen on which the combined images are presented;

user input means for receiving signals from a user, the signals including transfer request signals, each transfer request signal requesting transfer of data from a source that is one of the first and second processing means to a destination that is the other of the first and second processing means; and

data transfer means for responding to the transfer request signals by providing the destination with control of data being transferred;

the information transfer means comprising first form means for providing control of data being transferred in a first form suitable for operations of the first processor if the destination is the first processing means;

the information transfer means further comprising second form means for providing control of data being transferred in a second form which is different from the first form and which is suitable for operations of the second processor if the destination is the second processing means.

12. The system of claim 11 in which the first image area is a bounded area and the second image area is a remaining area outside the bounded area.

13. The system of claim 12 in which the bounded area includes a window.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising display memory means for storing the first image data and the second image data;

the first processor being connected for providing the first image data to the display memory means for storage;

the second processor being connected for providing the second image data to the display memory means for storage;

the combining means being connected for accessing the first image data and the second image data in the display memory means.

15. The system of claim 11 in which the first processing means is a host system, the first set of instructions being host system instructions;

the second processing means is an emulator for emulating a target system having a central processor for executing a set of target system instructions, the second set of instructions being the target system instructions;

the host system instructions being different from the target system instructions.

16. The system of claim 15 in which the transfer request signals include a pause signal for requesting that operation of the second processor be paused;

the data transfer means further comprising means for responding to the pause signal by pausing operation of the second processor.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a memory device with stored data that can be accessed either by the first processor or by the second processor;

the transfer request signals including a first access signal for requesting that the first processor access the stored data and a second access signal for requesting that the second processor access the stored data;

the first form means comprising first access means for responding to the first access signal by providing the first processor with access to the stored data;

the second form means comprising second access means for responding to the second access signal by providing the second processor with access to the stored data.

18. The system of claim 17 in which the memory device is a floppy disk drive, the stored data being stored on a floppy disk that can be accessed either by the first processor or by the second processor.

19. The system of claim 17 in which the stored data is stored so that it can be accessed by the second processor as if it were stored in a memory medium different than the memory device.

20. The system of claim 19 in which the memory device is a fixed disk drive, the stored data being accessible by the second processor as if it were stored on a floppy disk and accessible through a floppy disk drive.

21. The system of claim 20 in which the combined image includes an icon representing the stored data and a symbol representing an emulated floppy disk drive;

the first access signal including an open signal requesting that the icon be opened;

the second access signal including a load signal requesting that the icon be loaded to the emulated floppy disk drive;

the first access means comprising open means for responding to the open signal by presenting a window showing a directory of the stored data as part of the combined image;

the second access means comprising load means for responding to the load signal by permitting the second processor to access the stored data as if it were stored on a floppy disk.

22. The system of claim 21 in which the first access signal further includes an eject signal requesting ejection of the stored data from the emulated floppy disk drive;

the first access means comprising eject means for responding to the eject signal by permitting the user input means to receive the open signal.

23. The system of claim 19 in which the memory device is a fixed disk drive, the stored data being accessible by the second processor as if it were stored in a fixed disk drive different than the memory device.

24. The system of claim 17 in which the transfer request signals include a boot signal for requesting that the second processor be booted;

the second form means further comprising means for responding to the boot signal by booting the second processor in a configuration that provides access to the stored data in the memory device.

25. The system of claim 11 in which the source is the first processing means, the destination is the second processing means, and the data being transferred indicates a sequence of characters in a text appearing in the first image area;

the second form means comprising converting means for converting the data being transferred into text data suitable for the second processor.

26. The system of claim 25 in which the converting means converts the data into keyboard scan codes suitable for the second processor.

27. The system of claim 11 in which the source is the first processing means, the destination is the second processing means, and the data being transferred indicates a bitmap appearing in the first image area;

the second form means comprising bitmap copying means for copying the indicated bitmap into the second image area.