Structure and method for controlling a host computer using a remote hand-held interface device

• US 6,292,181 B1
• Filed: 09/02/1994
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Gladwin, S. Christopher, Soucy, Alan, Banerjee, Biswa R., Maskatia, Arif
• Primary Examiner(s): BRIER, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US08/300,500
• Time in Patent Office: 2,573 Days
• Field of Search: 345/169, 345/173-179, 345/182, 345/183, 345/2, 455/66, 364/132, 364/138, 364/188, 364/709.11, 364/709.13, 340/825.06, 340/825.72
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3237 by disabling clock generation or distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1097 Boot, Start, Initialise, Power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 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 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/026 Arrangements or methods related to booting a display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/18 : Timing circuits for raster scan displays specially adapted for television H04N ; synchronisation between the display unit and other display units, videodisc player G09G5/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 : Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 : Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 : Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 : Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 : Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A mobile interface device receiving input from a stylus is provided to remotely control application programs running on a host computer. Such an interface device provides convenient access to any resource of the host computer, including, for example, a sharable database. An embodiment of such an interface device includes a pen-based graphical interface which communicates with an operating system on the host computer. In that embodiment, the operating system on the host computer has handwriting recognition capability.

Claims

1. A mobile user interface device for controlling a host computer, comprising:

a graphical display subsystem, including a graphical display, for displaying an image;

an input subsystem, including a stylus, for receiving from a user positional data representing spatial positions of said stylus; and

a wireless communication subsystem for sending data to and receiving data from said host computer over a wireless communication link; and

means for controlling operations of said graphical display subsystem, said input subsystem and said wireless communication subsystem, said means for controlling (i) causing said wireless communication link to be created;

(ii) causing an application program to be run on said host computer;

(iii) receiving from said input subsystem said positional data, providing a response to said user in acknowledgment of said positional data, and transmitting over said wireless communication link said positional data to said application program; and

(iv) receiving over said wireless communication link from said application program data representing said image, and causing said graphical display subsystem to display said image on said graphical display;

wherein said means for controlling comprises;

a central processing unit;

a processor bus coupled to data and address terminals of said central processing unit;

a memory subsystem accessible by said central processing unit over said processor bus;

a peripheral bus coupled to said input device subsystem, said graphical display subsystem and said wireless communication subsystem;

a system controller unit, coupled to said processor and peripheral busses and under the control of said central processing unit, for controlling over said peripheral bus the operations of said input device subsystem, said graphical subsystem, and said wireless communication subsystem.

2. A mobile user interface unit as in claim 1, further comprising a keyboard controller coupled to said peripheral bus for receiving keyboard input from one of:

(i) a keyboard connected to said mobile user interface; and

(ii) a keyboard emulation program executed by said central processing unit, wherein said keyboard emulation program mapping said positional data received in said input subsystem to selections of keys from a keyboard image displayed on said graphical display.

3. A mobile user interface device as in claim 1, wherein said system controller unit includes a power conservation circuit for temporarily suspending operation of said mobile user interface device when a predetermined time period elapses without positional data received in said input subsystem.

4. A mobile user interface device for controlling a host computer, comprising:

a graphical display subsystem, including a graphical display, for displaying an image;

an input subsystem, including a stylus, for receiving from a user positional data representing spatial positions of said stylus; and

a wireless communication subsystem for sending data to and receiving data from said host computer over a wireless communication link; and

means for controlling operations of said graphical display subsystem, said input subsystem and said wireless communication subsystem, said means for controlling (i) causing said wireless communication link to be created;

(ii) causing an application program to be run on said host computer;

(iii) receiving from said input subsystem said positional data, providing a response to said user in acknowledgment of said positional data, and transmitting over said wireless communication link said positional data to said application program; and

(iv) receiving over said wireless communication link from said application program data representing said image, and causing said graphical display subsystem to display said image on said graphical display;

wherein said host computer interprets said positional data as representing digitized strokes of a handwriting.

5. A computer system comprising:

a hand-held interface device comprising (i) a display device;

(ii) a position input device, said position input device receiving positional data representative of a current location of said position input device;

(iii) a wireless receiver and transmitter circuit, said wireless receiver and transmitter circuit transmitting said positional data; and

(iv) control means for providing an image on said display device; and

a host computer being coupled to (i) a wireless receiver and transmitter circuit for communicating with said hand held interface device, said wireless receiver and transmitter circuit of said host computer receiving said positional data; and

(ii) means for modifying said image in accordance with said positional data;

wherein said wireless receiver and transmitter circuit is accessed by said host computer as a shared resource on a local area network, and said position input device provides a plurality of data points each indicating a position of said position input device relative to an origin, said data points being queued in a pen event buffer in said hand held interface device for transmission to said host computer over a wireless link established between said wireless receiver and transmitter circuit of said hand held interface device and said wireless receiver and transmitter circuit coupled to said host computer.

6. A computer system as in claim 5, wherein said host computer provides commands over said wireless link for displaying graphical images on said display device of said hand held interface device.

7. A computer system as in claim 5, wherein said host computer has (i) buffer means for storing said data points received over said wireless link;

(ii) means for processing said data points; and

(iii) an event injector means for introducing said data points one by one into said means for processing.

8. A method for providing a mobile user interface device, comprising:

providing a graphical display;

providing an input device for indicating locations on said graphical display;

providing a wireless transceiver for communicating display information from said host computer to said mobile user interface device and for communicating said locations from said mobile user interface device to said host computer;

sending data representing said locations to said host computer over said wireless link; and

interpreting in said host computer said locations as representing digitized strokes of a handwriting.

9. A method as in claim 8, further comprising the step of providing a power conservation circuit for temporarily suspending operation of said mobile user interface device when a predetermined time period elapses during which said positional and selection data are out of a predetermined range.