System and method for accessing and operating personal computers remotely

• US 6,633,905 B1
• Filed: 09/22/1999
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vertiv IT Systems, Inc. (Vertiv Holdings Co.)
• Original Assignee: Avocent Huntsville Corporation (Vertiv Holdings Co.)
• Inventors: Perholtz, Ronald J., Hawkins, Dennis, Anderson, Robin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US09/401,501
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/219, 709/208, 709/203, 709/250, 709/204, 345/600, 345/55.8, 345/179, 345/520, 345/101, 345/158, 345/63, 345/810, 345/856, 348/563, 386/130, 710/38, 710/21, 710/138, 710/73
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A remote access device is disclosed for capturing, digitizing and communicating video signals from a host computer to a remote computer. The remote computer returns keyboard and mouse signals through the remote access device to the host computer to control the host computer as though the remote keyboard and mouse were directly connected to the host computer. The remote access device includes a circuit module interface for the host computer that allows the remote access device to operate independently of any operating system characteristics associated with the host computer.

Claims

1. A circuit module for a remote access computer, having in operation therein a remote access engine, to communicate between a data bus and the remote access engine, comprising:

a video capture circuit to capture analog video signals created by an external host computer different from the remote access computer, to digitize and packet the captured video signals; and

to sync the captured video signals to a video output on an external remote site computer different from the external host computer;

a mouse circuit to capture user input mouse signals created by the external remote site computer and captured by the remote access engine from the external remote site computer when initiated by the external remote site computer via a network connection; and

at least one of said video capture circuit or mouse circuit including a mouse lag correction routine to coordinate the mouse signals captured by the mouse circuit and the video capture circuit.

2. A circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the video capture circuit syncs the captured video signals by deducing a video format characteristic of the analog video signals created by the external host computer.

3. A circuit module according to claim 2, wherein the video format characteristic includes resolution information.

4. A circuit module according to claim 3, wherein the resolution information is created by a VGA card of the host computer.

5. A circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the host computer creates the analog video signals in cooperation with a particular type of operating system existing on the host computer, and the video capture circuit operates independently of the type of operating system existing on the host computer.

6. A circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the video capture circuit communicates with a standard video interface of the host computer.

7. A circuit module according to claim 6, wherein the video capture circuit operates independently of all software operation of the host computer except to receive the output of the standard video interface of the host computer.

8. A circuit module according to claim 7, wherein the video capture circuit syncs the captured video signals by deducing a video format characteristic of the analog video signals created by the external host computer.

9. A circuit module according to claim 1, further including:

a remote access interface cooperating with the remote access engine to deliver the synchronized and digitized video to the external remote site computer via a logical data path established between the remote access interface and the remote site computer.

10. A circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the remote access interface provides the remote site computer with a digitized version of the analog video signals created by the host computer for conversion and display at the remote site computer on essentially a real-time basis.

11. A remote access computer installed between at least one host computer and a remote computer, the host computer having a particular type of operating system, the remote access computer comprising:

a video capture circuit connected to a standard video output connector of the host computer to receive an analog RGB video signal normally destined for a standard monitor associated with the host computer;

a keyboard/mouse interface connected to at least one of;

a standard keyboard input connector of the host computer to deliver a keyboard control signal normally delivered by a standard keyboard associated with the host computer; and

a standard mouse input connector of the host computer to deliver a mouse control signal normally delivered by a standard mouse associated with the host computer;

a video process circuit, in communication with the video capture circuit, to synchronize and digitize the analog RGB video signal received by the video capture circuit;

a network interface communicating with a network medium which is also communicating with the remote computer;

a video interface communicating with;

the video process circuit to receive the synchronized and digitized RGB video signal, and

the network medium to deliver the digitized RGB video signal to the remote computer to allow the remote computer user to view in essentially real-time the same RGB video signal as provided by the host computer including the mouse control signal adjusted for lag; and

wherein;

the video capture circuit, keyboard/mouse interface, video process circuit, network interface, and video interface all operate independently of the particular type of operating system on the host computer.